Australian Natural Resources Atlas

Natural Resource Topics

Water resources - Overview - Northern Territory


Location map of SWMA Barkly

Basin & Surface Water Management Area: Barkly

Introduction

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There is no major infrastructure or diversions for surface water extraction within this SWMA. This management area is same as Barkly Basin. About 77% of the SWMA is pastoral leasehold land, 12% is Aboriginal land, and the remaining land is for other uses. Half of the land has soils with few limitations to agriculture. The management area covers thirty two pastoral leases, and seventeen of these leases have more than 70% of their area within the SWMA. The management area in the east borders the Barkly Tableland, and the Mittiebah Range is also located east of the SWMA. In the west the management area borders the Whittington, Murchison and Davenport Ranges. The central part of the southern half of the SWMA is sand ridges and semi desert. The main rivers in the south are Elkedra and Frew, originate from the ranges in the western boundary, and flow into this sand dune country. Most of the main rivers and creeks in the northern half of the SWMA, that originate from the Barkly Tableland, and some of the streams from the north western boundary flow into well defined lakes. The northern half of the SWMA is in humid zone, and the southern half is in arid zone. The mean annual rainfall varies from 250 mm in the south to 550 mm in the north. There is no surface water licensing, and surface water usage is for stock watering.

Vital Statistics:

Area: 123,030 Km2
Total storage volume: no data
Total surface water use: 575 ML/yr
Development category: LOW DEVELOPMENT
Mean annual run-off: 600,000 ML/yr

A four-class classification system was developed to provide a simple method to communicate the status of the use and allocation of Australia's water resources in relation to sustainable water management.

It is important to recognise that adequately quantifying a sustainable flow regime or sustainable yield and consequent operating rules is a complex matter. State, Territory and scientific agencies continue to develop and apply methods and measures for determining sustainable flow regimes and sustainable yields.

This categorisation provides a general guide only. Please refer to the State and Territory Overview and Technical reports for detail on the analysis methods used.

CategoryDevelopment status
1<30% Low development
230 - 70% Moderate development
370 - 100% Highly developed
4100% Overdeveloped

* Water use as a percentage of sustainable flow regime (surface water) and sustainable yield (groundwater)

PLEASE NOTE:

Sustainable Yield:

As this SWMA is in arid zone, the sustainable yield is estimated as 5% of the Divertible Yield. The assumptions, method and basis for estimation of environmental flow are explained in the section titled 'Environmental Flow Requirement' in NT Technical Report.

PLEASE NOTE:

Categorisation:

Categorisation was based on the percentage ratio of Use to Sustainable Yield.

How saline are the surface water resources in the Barkly surface water management area?

Table: Surface water resource by salinity class.

Total Volume, Divertible Yield (ML/Yr)
Total volume (ML/yr), DIVERSION600,000
<500 mg/l (ML/yr)1,200,000
500 mg/l (ML/yr) - 1500 mg/l (ML/yr)no data
1500 mg/l (ML/yr) - 5000 mg/l (ML/yr)no data
5000 mg/l (ML/yr) - 14000 mg/l (ML/yr)no data
> 14000 mg/l (ML/yr)no data

Major water storages

Table: Major water storage areas:

There were no major water storages reported in this area as part of the assessment

Further Information

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