Groundwater-dependent ecosystem vulnerability in the Mid West of Western Australia
| Objective: | To provide a groundwater-dependent ecosystem study to underpin future water plans in Western Australia's Mid West region, where there is considerable development pressure from mining, horticultural and urban activities. |
| Funding: |
$2.46 million plus GST |
| Jurisdiction: | Western Australia |
| Commencing: | April 2009 |
| Completion: | March 2012 |
About the project
The project will support a groundwater-dependent ecosystem study for the Mid West, where there is considerable development pressure from mining, horticultural and urban developments. It will complement funding that has already been provided for a number of high-priority areas - Pilbara, South West and Gnangara.
The Mid West includes the northern part of the Swan Coastal Plain - the most significant and threatened area of wetlands in the state - and is home to a considerable proportion of the Western Australia's rare and threatened flora.
The project will define the ecological, social and cultural values of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDE) and will use representative GDE sites to obtain information on their susceptibility to groundwater regime change based on distribution, deposition and age of sedimentary rocks and vegetation water requirements found at those sites. A groundwater-monitoring network and vegetation transects will be established, allowing managers to understand water requirements including information on ecological condition. A risk analysis of GDEs will then be carried out, based on scenarios of groundwater regime change due to climate variability and/or development pressures.
Project benefits
The project's findings will complete the suite of work already undertaken in Western Australia in the other high-priority areas. Together, these studies will result in improved groundwater-management guidelines for these vulnerable areas.
In addition to providing essential understanding about groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the Mid West and the hydrology that supports them, this project will significantly contribute to the revision of water management plans in line with National Water Initiative and state water reform requirements. It will assist in the assessment of water required for the environment and water available for use, and will define areas at risk of abstraction to inform licensing decisions.
The information gathered will support the development of environmental water provisions and a statutory groundwater management plan for the Northern Perth Basin. The monitoring program established will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of water-management and -use strategies in meeting environmental and management objectives, enabling an adaptive approach to management of the water resource. This is fundamental to achieving the sustainable outcome of maximising water development while minimising environmental impact.
Progress
July 2010
The project is progressing on time. GDE mapping including social and cultural values assessment has been completed.