Australian Natural Resources Atlas

Natural Resource Topics

Water resources - Overview - Northern Territory

Location map of Great Artesian Basin - Western Recharge

Groundwater Management Unit: Great Artesian Basin - Western Recharge

Introduction

The Great Artesian Basin (GAB) comprises 23 hydrologic zones (accounting for interstate / territory boundaries). These zones were determined by the Great Artesian Basin Consultative Council (GABCC) in 1999. The total area of the GAB is approximately 1.8 million sq km.

The Western Recharge (NT) Groundwater Management Unit (GMU) is one of these hydrologic zones. Its area is about 31200 sq km which accounts for 1.7% of the total GAB area.

The Western Recharge (NT) zone lies in the western region of the GAB and extends in an arc approximately 480 km in length between the borders of Queensland and South Australia. It extends up to 100 km from the Western (NT) zone boundary to the GAB fringe boundary. The town of Finke lies in the Western Recharge (NT) zone.

Natural surface levels predominantly range from 100 m to 500 m above mean sea level increasing towards the GAB fringe boundaries. Elevation in the southwestern corner is predominantly from 300 to 500 m above mean sea level.

Rainfall in the Western Recharge (NT) zone reaches above 150 mm/yr. Rainfall increases towards the GAB fringe boundaries. Evaporation generally exceeds average annual rainfall by up to 400 mm.

Land use in this zone is evenly proportioned between other purposes in the north and cattle industry purposes in the south.

Most of the Western Recharge (NT) zone land tenure exists as Vacant Crown Land to the north and Leasehold Land to the south. The rest of the zone is covered by Aboriginal Freehold and and Aboriginal Leasehold Land.

The dominant vegetation type in the Western Recharge (NT) zone is tall open shrubland. Scattered pockets of dense sown pasture, low open woodland and low open shrubland also exist.

Vital Statistics:

Area: 31,200 Km2
Total water allocated: no data
Total water consumed: 380 ML/yr
Average salinity: 1,735 mg/l
Sustainable yield: 330 ML/yr
Depth to top of aquifier: 110 m

Further Information

Key

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