Groundwater extractions

The accompanying map shows the volume of groundwater extractions for the 200405 year for each groundwater management unit across Australia based on the data provided for the Level 1 Assessment by the states and territories. Groundwater is extracted predominantly through individual bores across Australia , although there are bore fields for some large users (e.g. for urban water supply in parts of Western Australia ). In Western Australia , the Northern Territory and South Australia , groundwater supplies most users, including urban, commercial and industrial. A large proportion of groundwater extraction in these areas is for the mining industry, principally for ore concentration and mineral processing and, in some cases, for the purpose of de-watering to enable the use of dry mining techniques.

There are no data available for groundwater extractions in Tasmania , as the groundwater diversions are minimal and are not currently licensed or metered.

Only a small proportion of groundwater extractions are metered across the country, but metering programmes are currently being planned or implemented in most states or territories (where groundwater extractions are significant). It is not expected that meters will ever be installed for all groundwater diversions, because of the number of individual bores and the difficulty and expense in doing so. Metering programmes across Australia are currently targeted at areas within groundwater management units that are highly developed or where aquifer levels are declining.

In Victoria , 60 groundwater management units have licensed groundwater extractions that are quantified. Of these, 33 groundwater management units have metered data, while for a further 27 extractions are estimated (the estimates are based on an assumed 35 per cent use (including stock and domestic) of the total allocation. The 35 per cent figure was calculated as the average level of use versus allocation for the metered areas). Refer to tables below.

Groundwater extractions July 2004 - June 2005. Click to download a high resolution PDF of this map.
Groundwater extractions July 2004 - June 2005

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Groundwater extractions July 2004 - June 2005 (1.9 Meg )

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Number of groundwater management units where ground water extractions are determined from metered data

State or territory
ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA National
Number of groundwater management units with groundwater extractions 1 84 53 14 58 0 60 42 312
Number of groundwater management units by the percentage of metered groundwater extraction 0% 0 49 0 3 3 0 27 42 124
120% 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 6
2140% 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 3
4160% 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
6180% 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 5
81100% 1 25 0 1 4 0 29 0 60
No data provided 0 0 53 9 51 0 0 0 113

Method used for determining groundwater extraction for 200405 ( if NOT 100 percent metered)

Method for determining groundwater extractions State or territory
ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA National
Estimated from irrigated areas 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 42 51
Estimated from licence volume 0 47 0 1 10 0 25 42 125
Estimated from power usage for pumps 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Estimated from models 0 11 0 2 0 0 0 0 13
Other 0 21 0 2 0 0 8 0 31

Note: the sum of the methods used may be more than the number of groundwater management units that are not metered, because more than one calculation method was used for individual groundwater management units in some cases

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Last Updated 22/06/2007