Posted 13 August 2013
A new CWI study will the study will examine how both regulatory and scientific data can be used to assess factors contributing to groundwater extraction mismanagement.
Dr Cameron Holley and Prof. Andy Baker
The efficiency, metering and environmental impacts of groundwater use will be the focus of a new CWI study into groundwater regulation.
Ways of reliably measuring the actual quantities of groundwater being used, which is essential for the sustainable management of this resource, are not well understood.
The NSW Department of Trade & Investment has provided a $20,000 grant to support a new CWI project investigating whether groundwater over-use - intentional or otherwise - is undermining this valuable resource.
Headed by Dr Cameron Holley and Prof. Andy Baker, the study will examine how both regulatory and scientific data can be used to assess meter tampering, faulty meters and other factors contributing to groundwater extraction mismanagement on a catchment-wide basis in order to prioritise the legal regulation of individual aquifers.
Dr Holley will also conduct interviews with industry, agriculture and government to supplement an accompanying analysis of relevant legislation, metering policy and available government reports.
“I am excited about this project because it will help shed greater light on our growing use of this ‘hidden’ water resource, and identify ways of ensuring it is regulated and managed more efficiently and sustainably,” Dr Holley said.
It is anticipated the outcomes of this study will lead to more effective regulation, improved efficiency and reduction of the impact of agriculture on groundwater resources.
Professor Andy Baker features in American Water Resources Association ‘Water Resources Impact’, September 2020 edition.
The Connected Waters Initiative (CWI) is pleased to welcome Taylor Coyne to its network as a postgraduate researcher. If you’re engaged in research at a postgraduate level, and you’re interested in joining the CWI network, get in touch! The CWI network includes multidisciplinary researchers across the Schools of Engineering, Sciences, Humanities and Languages and Law.
The Grand Challenge on Rapid Urbanisation will establish Think Deep Australia, led by Dr Marilu Melo Zurita, to explore how we can use our urban underground spaces for community benefit.
On the 21 August 2020, CWI researchers made a submission to the National Water Reform Inquiry, identifying priority areas and making a number of recommendations as to how to achieve a sustainable groundwater future for Australia.
Results published from a research project between the Land Development Department (LDD) Thailand and UNSW has demonstrated how 2-dimensional mapping can be used to understand soil salinity adjacent to a earthen canal in north east Thailand (Khongnawang et al. 2020).
