The National Water Commission considers groundwater to be a critical component of the water cycle that requires greater effort in the future to ensure its sustainable planning and management.
Researchers are investigating alternatives to traditional methods for measuring water flow.
If we fail to get the water, then it's ruin to the squatter, For the drought is on the station and the weather's growing hotter...
While sustainable yield is difficult to quantify for many groundwater systems, water users and the community need to know that they can be confident in the science used to determine it.
Understanding how aquifers at different depths interact with each other and with surface water can help manage the impact of coal mining activities on groundwater quality.
Recognition of the significant role of floodplains in the complexity of Australian river systems is crucial to sustainable water management.
Combining sampling and measurements of surface water with computer modelling technology develops better understanding of surface-groundwater connectivity.
By comparing the consumption patterns of different countries, strategies can be developed to improve water use efficiency and reduce our impact on water resources.
The demise of the Macquarie Marshes in NSW, an internationally significant wetland, highlights a critical breakdown in habitat management across vested interests and the price of prioritising water extraction for commercial use above environmental allocations.
A position paper prepared by concerned groundwater professionals to encourage change in addressing national groundwater issues.
Groundwater levels and aquifer storage
There are two common mistakes often made when calculating how much groundwater storage levels have changed.
Quantifying vertical water flow using natural heat as tracer
Ancient water to drain from farmland without ongoing joint management
The management of withdrawals of ground water in the Central West remains an area of hotly-contested debate. Associate Professor of Hydrogeology Bryce Kelly has spent over a decade studying groundwater in the Central West, and has credited groundwater with “saving rural communities from collapse”, but its potential for future drought-proofing depends on how successfully it’s managed. He says current withdrawals “will only be sustainable if the Narromine region gets flooded frequently enough to balance the volume of groundwater extracted."
