Strategic assessment and management of priority/stressed groundwater catchments
Project details
| Objective: |
To improve understanding and management of groundwater resources and their connectivity with surface water. |
| Funding: |
Up to$4.376 million plus applicable GST from the Australian Government with matching funding provided by jurisdictions. This is comprised of previously announced funding of $1.75 million and additional funding of $2.626 million. |
| Jurisdiction: |
National |
| Commenced: |
December 2007 |
| Completion: |
December 2011 |
About the project
The Australian Government is contributing funds to provide assistance to jurisdictions to carry out strategic assessment and management of priority groundwater systems. Assistance may be in the form of additional monitoring programs, metering, modelling, yield estimation or funding to implement management strategies. The activities carried out will be determined by states and territories in conjunction with the National Water Commission. In some states and territories, the project may be managed by catchment management authorities as appropriate.
Project benefits
The project will:
- identify with jurisdictions priority (stressed and/or highly interconnected) groundwater management units (GMUs) across Australia
- provide additional resources in priority/stressed GMUs to improve understanding and management of surface water/groundwater connectivity
- assist in determining management options for priority GMUs to ensure sustainable extraction regimes under water management plans, and
- improve groundwater management processes in jurisdictions and improve measurement and monitoring of groundwater in priority GMUs.
This activity has links to other Raising National Water Standards activities, including the Australian Water Resources 2005, the baseline assessment of water resources currently underway.
Progress
Funding has been provided to catchment jurisdictions for a variety of projects.
ACT
This project will create a catchment wide picture of groundwater characteristics across the ACT. The project will be finalised in the next 6 months and the major report will be available at that time.
NSW
The project will install telemetered data loggers in groundwater bores across NSW. The data will be posted on the internet in almost real time. The project will improve the level of information available to water managers, water users and the community on the behaviour of groundwater systems in NSW. The telemetry and data logger systems are currently being acquired and a number of the installations have commenced.
NT
The project will aid in the development of water allocation plans for the aquifer providing spring inflow into the Roper River in the Mataranka area and the Northern Territory portion of the Great Artesian Basin. It will also aid in the development of a water resources management strategy for the Berry Springs Dolomite aquifer. A water planner has been appointed to manage these projects.
QLD
This project will assist in the identification of source aquifers to significant springs that are dependent on groundwater from the GAB and carry out a groundwater resource assessment of aquifer systems in the Eastern Darling Downs. These projects will be commencing shortly.
TAS
The project is integrating the groundwater databases currently used in Tasmania and assisting in the managing groundwater-surface water interactions in Tasmania. The projects first report on the methodology to integrate the data bases will be completed shortly.
SA
This project will see the development of an integrated assessment tool to plan and manage sustainable use of highly sensitive groundwater resources on the Eyre Peninsular to inform the planning review for the region. The initial modelling for the project has commenced.
Vic
This project will test remote sensing technologies to measure evapotranspiration in the Campaspe and Glenelg Catchments to assist in the planning process. The project has yet to commence.
WA
This project will enhance the groundwater and surface water hydrological knowledge of the Fitzroy River to support water management planning initiatives. The project has just commenced.