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Background

The Sustainable Management of Coastal Groundwater Resources project aims to improve water management in coastal aquifers through the demonstration of an integrated approach to managing the availability and quality of coastal groundwater resources.  It seeks to develop and implement a monitoring strategy and will investigate the Macleay Coastal Sands Aquifer to demonstrate these methodologies which can be applied to similar high-value sand aquifer systems on the Australian coastline.

Objectives

Image of a coastal aquifer
© Geoscience Australia

• To demonstrate an integrated approach for managing the availability and quality of coastal groundwater resources, as a strategy to prevent over-allocation due to rapid urban and/or intensive agricultural development
• To combine socio-economic and state of the art groundwater and seawater intrusion modelling tools to support the long-term management of coastal sand aquifers.  These methodologies can be applied to similar coastal sand dune aquifers along the north coast of New South Wales and can help ensure that potential new groundwater sources are developed sustainably with minimal impact on groundwater dependent ecosystems
  

Expected outcomes

The expected outcomes of this project are to:

• produce a comprehensive monitoring data set on groundwater levels and water quality for robust analysis of coastal dune systems in northern NSW that will contribute to knowledge development on how to better manage fragile coastal  systems which are faced with rising demand
  
• integrate water quantity and water quality considerations with a risk management framework for evaluating sustainable extraction regimes for coastal groundwater systems and in particular, taking into consideration the risk of saline upconing and seawater intrusion
  
• contribute towards a sustainable extraction regime for the Macleay Coastal Sands Aquifer, particularly during peak competing demand periods and assessment of impacts on coastal groundwater dependent ecosystems
• facilitate the management of aquifers for long term sustainable use, provide pathways for minimising aquifer stress and to develop new opportunities for coastal groundwater development that is environmentally sustainable
• examine trade-offs between consumptive groundwater use and the requirements of dependent ecosystems in coastal regions by combining biophysical models and socio-economic analysis.