A new report shows that the health of Australia's largest groundwater system is improving.
The Great Artesian Basin lies beneath parts of the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales. The Basin holds 130,000 times more water than Sydney Harbour.
We commissioned this baseline study to help us better understand how strategic investments across the Basin will contribute to a more water secure future for a large part of Australia.
The report showed improvements in:
- Basin-wide scale groundwater pressure
- The number and condition of springs and groundwater dependent ecosystems
- The stabilisation of water quality
- A decline in groundwater usage and extraction.
These improvements will have major impacts, with the Basin being a vital resource for over:
- 180,000 people
- 7,600 businesses
- 120 towns.
We're considering the report's eight recommendations to further improve the maintenance and support of the Basin.
We've committed this year to progressing recommendation 3 - to develop a basin-wide monitoring strategy.
Better and more sustainable infrastructure will deliver water savings now. It will also set us on a path to secure and sustainable water management in the future.
The Australian Government remains committed to ensuring all our precious water resources are in the best possible position to support our communities, industries and environment.
Read the report to learn more about our progress towards a healthier Great Artesian Basin.
