Great Artesian Basin
The Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) has a long history of research within the Great Artesian Basin (GAB). It utilises this experience with the provision of advice to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Natural Resource Management Division, with particular focus on the implementation of the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative (GABSI).
The Bureau provides the Commonwealth representative on the Great Artesian Basin Technical Working Group, which reports to the GAB Consultative Committee. As an independent and impartial participant, BRS is able to work with the state representatives to achieve consensus and the best outcome for the Basin as a whole. The Bureau and the state jurisdictions use the BRS steady state groundwater model to estimate the long-term on-ground benefits of individual and collective bore rehabilitation works funded under GABSI.
Activities for 2006/07
- Assessing the viability of remote telemetry to monitor bore flow and pressure, to enable more timely monitoring of the basin, and
- Undertaking modelling assessing the outcomes of state water management plans and maintaining data on GABSI rehabilitated bores.
BRS is also responsible for coordinating a study into interaquifer leakage, which is responsible for significant water wastage.