National Groundwater Assessment Initiative
Total funding: $50 million plus applicable GST from the Australian Government.
About the project
Groundwater in Australia is generally poorly understood compared with surface water. However, it makes up about 32 per cent of our 'sustainable' water resources and currently is under ever increasing pressure due to increasing extraction to compensate for declining surface water stocks. Given that groundwater is nearly always connected to surface water, unless we can improve knowledge and understanding of this key resource, we are at risk of seriously overexploiting it with significant flow on reductions to surface water entitlement holders and the environment in many systems.
During the recent drought pressure on our groundwater resources has become more severe and the risks of over extraction of groundwater have increased significantly. Similarly the risk of contamination of groundwater with lower quality sources has also increased. However, the depth of information and knowledge about Australia's groundwater resources is still limited.
The Australian Government is funding an ambitious package of projects that will accelerate the assessment of Australia's groundwater resources and harmonise definitional issues, governance and management practices. This initiative will focus on:
- harmonisation of groundwater definitions, governance and management practices for shared resources
- a stocktake of northern Australian groundwater resources
- a national assessment of sites suitable for managed aquifer recharge and recovery focusing on major urban centres
- vulnerability of groundwater dependent ecosystems
- specific investigation of groundwater-surface water interconnectivity
- strategic aquifer characterisation to remove impediments to delivery of NPWS and NWI, and
- a national review of groundwater potential for deep fresh, saline and brackish waters.
Results will be communicated to users via an associated Raising National Water Standards Program Groundwater knowledge and capacity building project.
Project benefits
This initiative is focused on providing the scientific definitions, management and governance guidelines and field knowledge that is so vital if we are going to improve the sustainable management of this important national resource. Expected benefits will be more sustainable environmental management of groundwater dependent ecosystems, the development of acceptable yield concepts for aquifers that facilitate their long-term sustainable and productive use, the identification of new resources for a wide range of users and opportunities to improve urban water management via identification of potential managed aquifer recharge and recovery sites.
The project advances the National Water Initiative objective of surface and groundwater connectivity.
Water Smart Australia projects are funded by the Australian Government's Water for the Future initiative.
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