Australia's Groundwater Future: A National Groundwater Priority Program. Findings from Australia's National Groundwater Conference (2010)  

Authors / CoAuthors

Lawrie, K.

Abstract

National wealth generation in Australia is underpinned by the strategic development and security of our water, food and fibre, new energy, and mineral resources. These are all critically dependent on the sustainable management of our groundwater resources. Today, fresh groundwater, through direct extraction, and indirectly through replenishing our river systems, contributes over 50% of Australia's water supplies. Groundwater will also provide an increasingly important higher security store of water in a carbon economy, particularly in the face of increased evaporation and predicted climate drying in the southern half of the continent. In this scenario, the challenges will be even greater to balance productive water use with the environmental needs of our unique terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Brackish groundwater will also become increasingly important in new energy development. Despite its mighty contribution to national wellbeing, groundwater remains the 'poor cousin' in the national water debate - often overlooked, insufficiently measured and monitored, frequently misunderstood or taken for granted, and increasingly overexploited. Delegates from Australia's National Groundwater Conference (2010) contributed to a Strategic Paper 'Australia's Groundwater Future'. This paper recommends that groundwater should be elevated to a national priority because it is a critical component of Australia's future water, energy, minerals and food and fibre security, as well as environmental sustainability in a water-insecure world, in a growing nation. The paper recommended that a National Groundwater Priority Program be established, with six programs identified: i. 'Australian Groundwater Resources Inventory'. ii. 'New Energy and Mineral Developments: Regional Groundwater Frameworks and Cumulative Impact Assessments'. iii. 'Increased Water Security Options for Regional Australian Communities, Industries and Agriculture' iv. Assessing Risks to Groundwater Quality, Environmental Assets and Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems (GDEs) v. National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training (NCGRT) vi. 'Groundwater Knowledge Transfer, Capacity Building, and Communication: Bringing Groundwater to the Surface'.

Product Type

nonGeographicDataset

eCat Id

75737

Contact for the resource

Keywords

• External PublicationAbstract

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

• Geology

• Published_Internal

Publication Date

2013-01-01T00:00:00

Creation Date

Security Constraints

Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem    

Classification - unclassified

Legal Constraints

Special, MOU, etc.

Access - restricted

Use - license

Status

Purpose

Maintenance Information

notPlanned

Topic Category

geoscientificInformation

Series Information

Lineage

Abstract prepared for submission to the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH).

Parent Information

Extents

Reference System

Spatial Resolution

Service Information

Associations

Downloads and Links

Source Information

Source data not available.