Groundwater-related publications
Search our alphabetical list of groundwater-related publications below, to read more about the work of our groundwater scientists.
Fact sheet
You might also like to learn more about our current groundwater science and modelling work.
Download the fact sheet (PDF. 157KB)Report
If you are interested in groundwater research, check out our groundwater research prospectus.
Download the report (PDF. 1,281KB)Topics
Fact sheets
- Groundwater temporary trades (71T Dealings) (PDF, 1489.47 KB)
- Groundwater impact assessment criteria (PDF, 169.78 KB)
- Available water determinations for groundwater fact sheet (PDF, 298.7 KB)
- Groundwater and drought fact sheet (PDF, 270.34 KB)
- Identifying and protecting groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the Great Artesian Basin (PDF, 254.12 KB)
- Lower Murray Groundwater Source preliminary analysis of water quality 2003-2015 fact sheet (PDF, 264.02 KB)
- Lower Namoi Groundwater Source preliminary analysis of water quality 2003-2019 (PDF, 225.81 KB)
- Maroota extractive industry groundwater fact sheet (PDF, 660.04 KB)
- Reducing groundwater allocations fact sheet (PDF, 283.24 KB)
- Strategy for the controlled allocation of groundwater (PDF, 33.08 KB)
- Water Monitoring Strategy for Coal Basins (PDF, 179.13 KB)
Groundwater vulnerability maps and notes
Minimum requirements
Presentations
2024
2023
- Coal seam gas exploration, petroleum exploration licence PEL1 and PEL12: Kahlua Pilot Reactivation – 18 October 2023 (PDF, 2708.17 KB)
- Lower Namoi groundwater source – 8 August 2023 (PDF, 2237.73 KB)
- Upper Namoi groundwater sources – 7 August 2023 (PDF, 2148.94 KB)
2022
- Upper Lachlan Management Zone 2 – 17 March 2022 (PDF, 2582.13 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 8 Groundwater Source – 17 March 2022 (PDF, 1489.99 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 12 Groundwater Source – 17 March 2022 (PDF, 1214.57 KB)
- Lower Namoi Groundwater Source – 16 March 2022 (PDF, 1459.08 KB)
- Lower Gwydir Groundwater Source – 15 March 2022 (PDF, 1308.54 KB)
2021
Reports
- Lower Murrumbidgee Groundwater Sources: Preliminary analysis of the influence of groundwater extraction on water quality 2005–2018 – November 2023 (PDF, 15035.69 KB)
- Alstonville Basalt Plateau groundwater resource description (PDF, 9976.2 KB)
- Review of groundwater levels in the Lower Gwydir groundwater source (PDF, 2904.13 KB)
- GAB springs conceptualisation report (PDF, 9276.87 KB)
- Review of groundwater levels of the inland alluvial groundwater sources in NSW 2021 (PDF, 483.31 KB)
- Upper and Lower Namoi Groundwater Sources, 2021 groundwater level review (PDF, 3557.11 KB)
- Upper Lachlan and Alluvial Groundwater Source, 2021 groundwater level review (PDF, 3056.61 KB)
- Hydrogeology and ecology survey of the Great Artesian Basin springs in NSW (PDF, 5673.49 KB)
- A Review of Groundwater-Surface Water Connectivity in the Cockburn Alluvium Management Zone (PDF, 1512.37 KB)
- Characterisation of hydrogeochemistry and risks to groundwater quality–impact of groundwater pumping on groundwater quality (PDF, 9658.49 KB)
- Cockburn River groundwater and surface water connectivity study – progress report 2021 (PDF, 1578.92 KB)
- Cockburn River groundwater and surface water connectivity study 2021 (PDF, 6890.34 KB)
- Evaluation of Cap and Pipe the Bores Program (PDF, 1296.85 KB)
- Ground displacements in the Lower Namoi region (PDF, 37238.49 KB)
- Ground displacements over alluvial aquifers in southern inland NSW (PDF, 39016.31 KB)
- Impact of groundwater pumping on stacked water sources (PDF, 632.22 KB)
- Maroota Extractive Industry Groundwater Study (PDF, 15082.78 KB)
- Methods for the identification of high probability groundwater dependent vegetation ecosystems (PDF, 8803.41 KB)
- Lower Namoi Groundwater Source Preliminary analysis of influence of groundwater extraction on water quality 2003–2019 (PDF, 25450.13 KB)
- Lower Murray Groundwater Source Preliminary analysis of influence of groundwater extraction on water quality 2003-2015
– June 2022 (PDF, 23345.86 KB)
Groundwater annual reports
Groundwater annual reports have been prepared for several inland groundwater sources. These reports give a summary of:
- water accounts
- volume pumped
- compliance with long-term extraction limits
- trade statistics
- groundwater levels.
These reports are updated annually.
2023
- Upper Namoi Zones 4 and 12 Groundwater Sources
(PDF, 2268.23 KB) - Upper Namoi Zone 8 Groundwater Source
(PDF, 1957.76 KB) - Lower Namoi Groundwater Source 2023
(PDF, 1707.64 KB) - Upper Lachlan Alluvial Groundwater Source 2023 (PDF, 1961.42 KB)
- Lower Lachlan Groundwater Source 2023 (PDF, 1883.57 KB)
- Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Sources 2023 (PDF, 3301.6 KB)
- Upper Murray Groundwater Source 2023 (PDF, 1688.27 KB)
- Lower Murray Groundwater Sources 2023 (PDF, 2568.74 KB)
- Mid Murrumbidgee Alluvial Groundwater Sources (PDF, 2620.29 KB)
- Lower Murrumbidgee Groundwater Sources (PDF, 2749.35 KB)
- Talbragar Alluvial Groundwater Source (PDF, 1619.56 KB)
- Cudgegong Alluvial Groundwater Source (PDF, 1866.3 KB)
- Lower Macquarie Alluvial Groundwater Sources (PDF, 2413.52 KB)
- Lower Macquarie Sandstone Groundwater Sources (PDF, 2500.06 KB)
- Upper Macquarie Alluvial Groundwater Source (PDF, 1722.8 KB)
- NSW Border Rivers Alluvial Groundwater Sources (PDF, 1822.4 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zones 5 and 11 Groundwater Sources (PDF, 2309.95 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 1 Groundwater Source (PDF, 1741.57 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 3 Groundwater Source (PDF, 1941.43 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 2 Groundwater Source (PDF, 2075.86 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 6 and 10 Groundwater Sources (PDF, 1628.76 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 7 Groundwater Source (PDF, 1548.86 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 9 Groundwater Source (PDF, 1546.02 KB)
- Peel Alluvium Groundwater Source (PDF, 1996.24 KB)
2022
- Upper Lachlan Alluvial Groundwater Source (PDF, 1232.26 KB)
- Lower Lachlan Groundwater Source (PDF, 1155.41 KB)
- Great Artesian Basin Groundwater Sources (PDF, 1548.09 KB)
- Upper Murray Groundwater Source (PDF, 1013.93 KB)
- Lower Murray Groundwater Sources (PDF, 1645.37 KB)
- Mid Murrumbidgee Alluvial Groundwater Sources (PDF, 1586.13 KB)
- Lower Murrumbidgee Groundwater Sources (PDF, 1876.09 KB)
- Lower Gwydir Groundwater Source (PDF, 1194.31 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 2 Groundwater Source (PDF, 1398.5 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 8 Groundwater Source (PDF, 1221 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 3 Groundwater Source (PDF, 1299.74 KB)
- NSW Border Rivers Alluvial Groundwater Sources (PDF, 767.1 KB)
- Peel Alluvium Groundwater Source (PDF, 1064.6 KB)
- Lower Namoi Groundwater Source (PDF, 1034.67 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 4 and Zone 12 Groundwater Sources (PDF, 1416.42 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 6 and Zone 10 Groundwater Sources (PDF, 840.61 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 5 and Zone 11 Groundwater Sources (PDF, 1509.81 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 9 Groundwater Source (PDF, 905.42 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 1 Groundwater Source (PDF, 1108.34 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 7 Groundwater Source (PDF, 938.45 KB)
- Lower Macquarie Sandstone Groundwater Sources (PDF, 1419.58 KB)
- Lower Macquarie Alluvial Groundwater Sources (PDF, 1487.08 KB)
- Upper Macquarie Alluvial Groundwater Sources (PDF, 811.08 KB)
- Talbragar Alluvial Groundwater Source (PDF, 789.68 KB)
- Cudgegong Alluvial Groundwater Source (PDF, 1159.54 KB)
2021
- Border Rivers alluvial groundwater sources 2021 (PDF, 376.24 KB)
- Cudgegong Alluvial Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 584.58 KB)
- Great Artesian Basin groundwater sources 2021 (PDF, 858.96 KB)
- Lower Gwydir Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 698.47 KB)
- Lower Lachlan Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 856.56 KB)
- Lower Macquarie alluvial groundwater sources 2021 (PDF, 694.69 KB)
- Lower Macquarie Sandstone groundwater sources 2021 (PDF, 769.93 KB)
- Lower Murray groundwater sources 2021 (PDF, 800.96 KB)
- Lower Murrumbidgee groundwater sources 2021 (PDF, 596 KB)
- Lower Namoi Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 667.91 KB)
- Mid Murrumbidgee alluvial groundwater sources 2021 (PDF, 581.52 KB)
- Peel Alluvium Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 477.49 KB)
- Talbragar Alluvial Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 405.64 KB)
- Upper Lachlan Alluvial Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 829.07 KB)
- Upper Macquarie Alluvial Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 326.83 KB)
- Upper Murray Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 554.08 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 2 Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 681.5 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 3 Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 796.56 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zones 4 and 12 groundwater source 2021 (PDF, 969.03 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zones 5 and 11 groundwater sources 2021 (PDF, 1121.11 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 6 and 10 groundwater sources 2021 (PDF, 477.98 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 7 Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 365.91 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 8 Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 542.01 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 9 Groundwater Source 2021 (PDF, 385.26 KB)
2020
- Bell Alluvial Groundwater Source 2020 (PDF, 366.03 KB)
- Belubula Valley Alluvial Groundwater Source 2020 (PDF, 539.4 KB)
- Billabong Creek Alluvial Groundwater Source 2020 (PDF, 1185.52 KB)
- Bungendore Alluvial Groundwater Source 2020 (PDF, 456.82 KB)
- Orange Basalt Groundwater Source 2020 (PDF, 527.6 KB)
- Upper Namoi Zone 1 Groundwater Source 2020 (PDF, 787.25 KB)
- Young Granite Groundwater Source 2020 (PDF, 696.23 KB)
Groundwater Resource Description reports
We have produced a series of resource description reports as part of the development of water resource plans for each groundwater source in the Murray-Darling Basin. Within the ‘draft plan’ you will find an appendix titled ‘… water resource plan area description’. Alternatively, the groundwater resource description reports are listed below. These reports provide a comprehensive overview of each groundwater resource. They describe the location, climate and physical attributes of the groundwater resource. They also present the current status of the groundwater resource including licensing and use and discuss the response of the groundwater system to variability in groundwater use and rainfall.
- Darling Alluvium (PDF, 7169.48 KB)
- Gwydir Alluvium (PDF, 6706.59 KB)
- Lachlan Alluvium (PDF, 16979.17 KB)
- Macleay Coastal Sands Groundwater Source ((PDF, 2088.67 KB)
- Macquarie-Castlereagh Alluvium (PDF, 14402.06 KB)
- Murray Alluvium (PDF, 10974.09 KB)
- Murrumbidgee Alluvium (PDF, 8650.15 KB)
- Namoi Alluvium (PDF, 16130.59 KB)
- NSW Border Rivers Alluvium (PDF, 4303.82 KB)
- NSW Great Artesian Basin (PDF, 10926.38 KB)
- NSW Murray-Darling Basin Fractured Rock (PDF, 7018.64 KB)
- NSW Great Artesian Basin Shallow (PDF, 6792.86 KB)
- NSW Murray-Darling Basin Porous Rock (PDF, 5719.6 KB)
- Greater Metropolitan Region Groundwater Sources (PDF, 5140.49 KB)
State Significant Development / Infrastructure Guidelines
- Groundwater assessment toolbox for major projects in NSW (PDF, 1874.45 KB)
- Guidelines for Groundwater Documentation for SSD/SSI Projects (PDF, 7878.68 KB)
- Minimum Groundwater Modelling Requirements for SSD/SSI Projects (PDF, 1076.54 KB)
- Cumulative Groundwater Impact Assessment Approaches (PDF, 2849.75 KB)