Hydrological modelling toolkit to support sustainable management of the Lower Burdekin groundwater system

Project details

Objective:

To develop an integrated, holistic package of modelling tools to support the decision-making process in the Burdekin
Funding:

$1.875 million (plus applicable GST)
Jurisdiction:

Queensland
Commenced:

November 2010
Completion:

July 2012

About the project

The Lower Burdekin is Australia's foremost irrigation user of groundwater and northern Australia's largest irrigation area.  As a region, it has substantial areas of cultural and environmental significance, with one of the largest concentrations of wetlands in eastern Australia.

The project will develop better understanding of the Burdekin hydrogeological system.

This project will be overseen by the Queensland Department of Resources and Environmental Management. Models will be developed that construct, calibrate, test and report unsaturated zone, groundwater flow, and solute transport models for the region.  The proposed hydrological modelling toolkit will:

  • support the inclusion of groundwater in the water planning process
  • inform general water management and use
  • improve understanding of the groundwater-related risks to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.

Project benefits

The toolkit will be used to:

  • support the inclusion of groundwater in the Water Resource Plan
  • assess sustainable groundwater extraction
  • assess the potential impacts on groundwater-dependent ecosystems.

It will support decision making for the management of:

  • rising groundwater levels - by testing the impacts on regional groundwater and salinity resulting from changes in irrigation practice, reduced channel and drain leakage and increased use of groundwater
  • the water table in relation to the impact on water quality from changes in irrigation practices and water sources - by assessing changes in the salt content in groundwater
  • the water table - by providing a greater understanding of the processes associated with seawater intrusion and the capability to simulate potential future inland movement of the seawater 'wedge' under different management scenarios
  • the Reef environment - by improving understanding of the salt/nutrient/pesticide discharge from groundwater to the marine environment
  • coastal wetlands, including Ramsar sites - by improving understanding of the salt/nutrient/pesticide discharge from groundwater to the coastal wetland environment and potential inland movement of the seawater 'wedge'
  • future land and water use - by ensuring that the likely impacts of future water and land use scenarios on the health of the Lower Burdekin groundwater system and connected ecosystems are understood.

It will also support the development of the North Queensland Regional Water Supply Strategy by helping assess the volume of available groundwater that could be released for use elsewhere in the system.

More information

The project joins other National Water Commission groundwater projects in Queensland:

Related information