Australian Natural Resources Atlas

Natural Resource Topics

Water resources - Overview - South Australia


Location map of SWMA Cooper Creek (SA) Water Level Monitoring Site, Callamurra Water Hole, Cooper Creek, at low flow. Source: Department for Water Resources

Surface Water Management Area: Cooper Creek (SA)

Introduction

Copyright

The description ot the Cooper Creek SWMA refers to the SA area only.

Rises in west Queensland reaching south west through low desert topography of gibber and dunes with ephemeral wetlands of international significance, and emptying into Lake Eyre, South Australia.

Vital Statistics:

Area: 53,200 Km2
Total storage volume: no data
Total surface water use: 0 ML/yr
Development category: LOW DEVELOPMENT
Mean annual run-off: 0 ML/yr

Please note:

No data were supplied about total surface water use for some river basins (eg. unregulated basins in NSW).

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:

Surface water resources have not been fully assessed and are assumed to be zero. Large volumes can become available for relatively short periods of time on an infrequent basis. The far north of South Australia is highly sensitive and any water resource development would have a significant environmental impact (SWP 2000).

How saline are the surface water resources in the Cooper Creek (SA) surface water management area?

Table: Surface water resource by salinity class.

Total Volume, Divertible Yield (ML/Yr)
Total volume (ML/yr), DIVERSION0
<500 mg/l (ML/yr)no data
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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