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The Upper Darling Baaka groundwater project - an integrated approach to groundwater system understanding

Created 19/11/2025

Updated 19/11/2025

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Communities and ecosystems along the Darling-Baaka River have been impacted by critical water shortages and water quality issues including high salinity, algal blooms, and fish kills due to declining surface water flows. The river, characterised by naturally variable flows, is the primary water source for the region. However, extraction and a meteorological drying trend associated with climate change have caused significant declines in discharge since post-settlement agriculture and industry began. Given these challenges, utilising lower salinity groundwater within the surrounding Darling Alluvium could supplement or provide an alternative to the current water surface water supply. This study enhanced understanding of the spatial extent, quality, and usability of groundwater in the Darling Alluvium. This study combined ground and airborne geophysical data, groundwater and surface water levels, hydrochemistry, lithology, and remote sensing data to delineate groundwater systems and understand the geological and hydrological controls on their occurrence. The integration of high-resolution datasets enabled mapping of the key factors controlling occurrence and quality of groundwater aquifers, namely basement topography and hydrostratigraphy, groundwater-surface water dynamics, and inter-aquifer connectivity. On this basis the study area can be sub-divided into regions with distinctive aquifer distribution and quality, recharge mechanisms, and pressure gradients between aquifers. The findings of this study have direct implications for key management questions, including the location and quantity of potentially useable groundwater, risks from groundwater extraction such as mobilising saline groundwater, and potential impact on river flows and groundwater dependent ecosystems. Presented at the 52nd Congress of International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH2025)

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Field Value
Title The Upper Darling Baaka groundwater project - an integrated approach to groundwater system understanding
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/en/dataset/5a56eed6-86b3-494f-a120-65f7a19eb25a
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 12/11/2025
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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      ],
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      ],
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      ],
      [
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      ],
      [
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      ]
    ]
  ],
  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "The Upper Darling Baaka groundwater project - an integrated approach to groundwater system understanding". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/the-upper-darling-baaka-groundwater-project-an-integrated-approach-to-groundwater-system-unders