Baseline review of activities that intercept surface and/or groundwater
Project details
| Objective: | To develop a national baseline of the status of major forms of activities that have the potential to intercept significant volumes of groundwater and/or surface water. |
| Funding: | $650 000 plus applicable GST from the Australian Government Water Fund to gain a generic understanding of what major forms of interception activities exist across the country in addition to those listed in the NWI, and the impact on the water cycle at present and in the future. |
| Jurisdiction: | National |
| Commenced: | July 2008 |
| Completed: | June 2010 |
About the project
The project will develop a national baseline of the status of major forms of activities that have the potential to intercept significant volumes of groundwater and/or surface water. The paper will quantify and map the location of the major forms of interception activities; the potential rate of expansion of each activity under current polices over various time periods; and estimates of water usage of each activity against water management areas used in the National Water Commission (NWC) Australian Water Resources (AWR) 2005 report. The paper will identify knowledge gaps and provide a basis for identifying and prioritising future activities by the NWC Interception Work Program.
Project benefits
The project, which will be developed in close consultation with jurisdictions, will:
- review major forms of activities that have the potential to intercept significant volumes of surface and/or groundwate
- map their current location and their potential rate of expansion, including the activities of concern listed under paragraphs 55-57 of the NW
- estimate the current and future water usage of each major interception activity identified in the water management areas used in the NWC AWR 2005 report.
The project will advance the National Water Initiative objectives by assisting NWI partners to make balanced decisions and apply consistent management approaches by broadening their understanding of the various types of interception activities, their location and estimated water usage.
The project will also assist NWI partners in enabling more targeted investments (e.g. improving methodologies for measuring and modelling interception activities) and developing harmonised approached to managing these activities across all jurisdiction.