The thirsty continent is losing its hidden water reserves. But Jim O'Rourke reports on moves to refill aquifers with supplies that would otherwise go to waste.
Doomsday scenario ... scientists warn that there will not be enough drinking water if underground water supplies are not protected. Photo: Nick Moir
A doubling of Australia's population in coming decades combined with the crippling effects of future droughts means there will not be enough drinking water by the middle of this century if authorities do not do more to protect underground supplies, scientists warn.
This doomsday scenario has prompted some of the country's leading groundwater experts to call for a greater push to store treated stormwater and wastewater caused by coal seam gas extraction under the ground. They say that instead of keeping water on the surface in dams and reservoirs where it can evaporate or become polluted, it should be pumped into the ground to refill, or ''recharge'', aquifers - naturally occurring underwater storages.
About 43 per cent of the NSW population either fully, or partially, relies on groundwater. More than 200 towns in the state use groundwater, tapped by sinking bores as deep as 600 metres, as the principal water supply source.
Brisbane Times
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