Groundwater resources in Australia—their occurrence, management, and future challenges

Abstract Groundwater is one of Australia’s most important natural resources and is the only source of water available for many regions, supplying urban areas, agriculture, industry, and mining developments. The economic value to the economy is estimated to be $A33.8 billion. This chapter gives an overview of the occurrence of the major aquifers in Australia and the rapid development of groundwater resources over the past 40–50 years, together with the evolution of management approaches. Water reform in Australia has progressed well over the last two decades. An agreement between the federal and state governments (the National Water Initiative) has resulted in statutory groundwater management plans, a system of secure water entitlements that can be traded, sustainable extraction limits, and a commitment to reduce entitlements in overallocated resources to sustainable levels. Current extraction is about 5000 GL/year with 70% used for irrigation. Early management intervention has resulted in only 2% of Australia’s management areas being overexploited. This chapter also discusses future challenges for groundwater management in Australia, including potential impacts of climate change, mining impacts, and declining government funding.