BORING: Goulburn-Murray Water hydrogeologist Bob Knowles supervises the installation of new groundwater monitoring bores.

Authority looks to get a more accurate picture

Written by RICHARD JAGO.

GOULBURN-Murray Water has secured $100,000 funding through the Department of Sustainability and Environment to improve its understanding of groundwater resources in the Upper Goulburn catchment, which extends from Woods Point to Violet Town.

The study area will include the current Kinglake Groundwater Management Area, where licence entitlement is currently capped, as well as the Strathbogie Ranges and Mansfield Basin.

In the first stage of this catchment-wide approach to groundwater resource management, G-MW mapped the key aquifer systems in the Goulburn-Broken catchment to determine their extent and their interaction with each other and with surface water.

This next stage will focus on the upper catchment areas, getting a more accurate picture of groundwater availability through a detailed understanding of the catchment’s water budget - water in and water out.

Senior hydrogeologist for Goulburn-Murray Water, Brendan Cossens, said the aim of the study is to determine the water available for extraction, which could lead to new groundwater licences for farmers outside the presently defined areas of intensive water use.

"Stage one of the work involves modelling how groundwater moves – how much surface water becomes groundwater and vice versa," Mr Cossens said.

"To monitor groundwater flows, bores have been installed complementing existing bores to give data on the depth and extent of aquifers in the catchment.