‘Water banking’ sites found in the Murray-Darling Basin

The CSIRO has
identified aquifers in the Murray-Darling Basin it says could be used for long-term
underground water storage and to enhance water security.

The aquifer regions, which include areas around the Warrego River, Condamine-Culgoa Rivers, Darling River, Macquarie-Bogan Rivers and Namoi River, could potentially store than 200 gigalitres, CSIRO researchers say.

Study
co-author Declan Page said recharging aquifers at times of higher rainfall,
storing the water, and discharging them during droughts is a cost-effective way
to manage regional water security.

“Drought
resilience starts well before droughts hit – it’s planning and preparing by
implementing practices that are water efficient and developing infrastructure
that enables water conservation and storage,” Dr Page said.

“Water
banking allows communities and their industries to potentially limit the
economic impacts of a drought, operating at far less restrictive levels, for
far longer.”

The study
was part of CSIRO’s work to develop a mission to improve Australia’s drought
resilience and protect regional communities, industries, and the environment
from droughts.

The study was published in the journal Water.