Editing Great Artesian Basin

{{short description|Large artesian aquifer in Australia}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox landform
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| name              = Great Artesian Basin
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| type              = [[Aquifer]]
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[[Image:LightningRidgeBaths.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Lightning Ridge, New South Wales|Lightning Ridge]] bathing thermes supplied by artesian bore water]] [[Image:ThargomindahHydro.jpg|thumb|350px|Hot water bore hole into the Great Artesian Basin in [[Thargomindah, Queensland|Thargomindah]]]]
[[File:Beels Bore (9014738440).jpg|thumb|350px|Beel's Bore, Hariman Park near [[Cunnamulla]].]]
The '''Great Artesian Basin''' ('''GAB''')<ref name="GAB">{{cite web | url=http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/water/groundwater/gab | title=Great Artesian Basin | publisher=[[Geoscience Australia]] | work=Water | date=15 May 2014 | access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref> of [[Australia]] is the largest and deepest [[Artesian aquifer|artesian basin]] in the world, extending over {{convert|1700000|km2}}. Measured water temperatures range from {{convert|30|to|100|C}}. The basin provides the only source of [[fresh water]] through much of inland Australia.<ref name=fresh>{{cite thesis|last=Spanevello|first=M. D.|title=The phylogeny of prokaryotes associated with Australia's Great Artesian Basin|type=PhD|url=http://www120.secure.griffith.edu.au/rch/file/5daeafb1-3029-96de-12cd-2a83e20a19b4/1/02Whole.pdf|date=November 2001|publisher=[[Griffith University]]|access-date=20 September 2014|archive-date=24 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924062257/https://www120.secure.griffith.edu.au/rch/file/5daeafb1-3029-96de-12cd-2a83e20a19b4/1/02Whole.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The basin underlies 22% of the Australian continent,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.agriculture.gov.au/water/national/great-artesian-basin|title = Great Artesian Basin - Department of Agriculture}}</ref> including most of [[Queensland]], the south-east corner of the [[Northern Territory]], north-eastern [[South Australia]], and northern [[New South Wales]]. It is {{convert|3000|m|comma=off|abbr=off}} deep in places and is estimated to contain {{convert|64900|km3|abbr=off}} of [[groundwater]].<ref name="fs"/> The Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee (GABCC)<ref name=GABCC>[http://www.gabcc.org.au/index.aspx  GABCC website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207075858/http://www.gabcc.org.au/index.aspx |date=7 February 2007 }}</ref> coordinates activity between federal, state/territory and local levels of government and community organisations.

==Physiography==
This area is one of the distinct physiographic provinces of the larger [[East Australian Basins]] division, and includes the smaller [[Wilcannia Threshold]] physiographic section.

===Geology===
The water of the Great Artesian Basin is held in a sandstone layer laid down by continental erosion of higher ground during the [[Triassic]], [[Jurassic]], and early [[Cretaceous]] periods. During a time when much of what is now inland Australia was below [[sea level]], the sandstone was covered by a layer of marine sedimentary rock, which formed a confining layer that trapped water in the sandstone aquifer. The eastern edge of the basin was [[Tectonic uplift|uplifted]] when the [[Great Dividing Range]] formed. The other side was created from the [[landform]]s of the [[Central Eastern Lowlands]] and the [[Great Western Plateau]] to the west.

Most recharge water enters the rock formations from relatively high ground near the eastern edge of the basin (in Queensland and New South Wales) and very gradually flows toward the south and west.<ref>http://www.gabcc.org.au/tools/getFile.aspx?tbl=tblContentItem&id=96 page 40  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204111235/http://www.gabcc.org.au/tools/getFile.aspx?tbl=tblContentItem&id=96 |date=4 February 2014 }}</ref> A much smaller amount enters along the western margin in arid central Australia, flowing to the south and east through the [[Permeability (Earth sciences)|permeable]] sandstone, at a rate of one to five metres per year.

Discharge water eventually exits through a number of [[spring (hydrosphere)|springs]] and [[Seep (hydrology)|seeps]], mostly in the southern part of the basin. The age of the groundwater, determined by carbon-14 and chlorine-36 measurements combined with hydraulic modelling, ranges from several thousand years for the recharge areas in the north to nearly 2&nbsp;million years in the south-western discharge zones.<ref name=Mudd>{{cite journal |last1=Mudd |first1=G.M.|date=March 2000 |title=Mound springs of the Great Artesian Basin in South Australia:a case study from Olympic Dam |journal=Environmental Geology |volume=39 |issue=5 |pages=463–476|publisher=Springer Berlin / Heidelberg|doi=10.1007/s002540050452 |s2cid=54687235}}</ref>

===Water source===
Prior to the arrival of Europeans, waters of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) discharged through mound springs, many in arid South Australia, such as [[Witjira-Dalhousie Springs]]. These springs sustained a variety of endemic invertebrates, such as [[mollusca|molluscs]], and supported extensive Aboriginal communities and trade routes.<ref name="Harris">Harris, Colin (2002). [http://www.icomos.org/australia/Tracks/02%20Harris,%20Mound%20Springs.doc Culture and geography: South Australia's mound springs as trade and communication routes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051116034933/http://www.icomos.org/australia/Tracks/02%20Harris%2C%20Mound%20Springs.doc |date=16 November 2005 }}, ''[[Historic Environment]]'', 16 (2), 8–11. {{issn|0726-6715}}.</ref> After the arrival of Europeans, the springs facilitated exploration, and allowed the provision of faster communications between south-eastern Australia and Europe, via the [[Australian Overland Telegraph Line]].<ref name="Harris"/> The Great Artesian Basin became an important water supply for [[cattle station]]s, [[irrigation]], and [[livestock]] and domestic purposes, and is a vital life line for rural Australia.<ref name="herqldout"/> To tap it, [[borehole]]s are drilled down to a suitable rock layer, and the pressure of the water often forces it up without the need for [[pump]]s.

The discovery and use of the water in the Great Artesian Basin allowed the settlement of thousands of square kilometres of country away from rivers in inland New South Wales, Queensland, and South Australia, that would otherwise have been unavailable for pastoral activities. European discovery of the basin dates from 1878 when a shallow bore near [[Bourke, New South Wales|Bourke]] produced flowing water.  There were similar discoveries in 1886 at Back Creek east of [[Barcaldine, Queensland|Barcaldine]], and in 1887 near [[Cunnamulla, Queensland|Cunnamulla]].<ref name="herqldout">{{Cite book|title=Heritage Trails of the Queensland Outback |last=Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) |author-link=Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) |year=2002 |publisher=State of Queensland |isbn=0-7345-1040-3 |pages=9 }}</ref><ref name="Nicol">{{cite web|last=Nicol |first=Sally |year=2005 |url=http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/water/gab/cd_rom/track1.html |title=The Great Artesian Basin: past, present and future |work=Water management |publisher=The State of Queensland (Department of Natural Resources and Water) |access-date=2 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315203025/http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/water/gab/cd_rom/track1.html |archive-date=15 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In essence, water extraction from the GAB is a mining operation, with recharge much less than current extraction rates. In 1915, there were 1,500 bores providing {{convert|2000|Ml|acre-ft|lk=out}} of water per day, but today the total output has dropped to {{convert|1500|Ml|acre-ft}} per day.<ref name="fs">{{cite web |url=http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/factsheets/pdf/water/w68.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923113138/http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/factsheets/pdf/water/w68.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 September 2010 |title=Underground water factsheets: Great Artesian Basin |access-date=30 September 2010 |publisher=Department of Environment and Resource Management }}</ref> This included just under 2,000 freely-flowing bores and more than 9,000 that required [[mechanical advantage|mechanical power]] to bring water to the surface. Many bores are unregulated or abandoned, resulting in considerable water wastage.<ref name="aoq">{{cite news |last=McCosker |first=Maddelin |date=17 August 2022 |title=Across outback Queensland, Great Artesian Basin water is surfacing where it has never been seen before |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2022-08-17/emerging-springs-across-queenslands-great-artesian-basin/101260220 |work=ABC News |access-date=26 November 2023}}</ref> These problems have existed for many decades, and in January 2007 the Australian Commonwealth Government announced additional funding in an attempt to bring them under control. However, many of the mound springs referred to above have dried up due to a drop in water pressure, probably resulting in extinction of several invertebrate species.<ref>Ponder,
Winston. [http://www.austmus.gov.au/factsheets/mound_springs.htm Mound  Springs in Arid Australia], Australian Museum.</ref><ref>[http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/determinations/ArtesianSpringsEcologicalCommunityEndComListing.htm  Artesian springs ecological community - endangered ecological community  listing - final determination], NSW Scientific Committee, Minister for the Climate Change and the Environment, New South Wales Government. Gazetted 15 June 2001. Page updated 12 February 2008.</ref>

The [[Olympic Dam mine]] in South Australia is permitted to extract up to {{convert|42|Ml}} of water daily from the Great Artesian Basin under the ''Roxby Downs (Indenture Ratification) Act 1982''. The underground copper and uranium mine commenced operations in 1988 and is expected to continue operating until approximately 2060.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}

In addition, the Basin provides water, via a {{convert|1.2|km|mi|frac=4|adj=mid|-deep}} bore, for a [[geothermal power]] station at [[Birdsville, Queensland|Birdsville]]. Water emerges from the bore at {{convert|98|C}} and provides 25% of the town's electricity needs. After being cooled, the water is also the source of the town's drinking water.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/publications/p00834aa.pdf/Birdsville_geothermal_power_station.pdf |title=Birdsville geothermal power station (pdf) |publisher=Queensland Sustainable Energy Innovation Fund |access-date=7 January 2007 |date=September 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060716063233/http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/publications/p00834aa.pdf/Birdsville_geothermal_power_station.pdf |archive-date=16 July 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Whole of Basin management==
The Great Artesian Basin underlies parts of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory, which each operate under different legislative frameworks, policies and resource management approaches. In 2020 the [[Australian government]] [[Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water]] published the Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan, which was prepared together with the individual governments and in consultation with the GABCC, stakeholders and public feedback.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dcceew.gov.au/water/policy/national/great-artesian-basin/strategic-management-plan |title=Great Artesian Basin Strategic Management Plan |date=2020 |access-date=26 January 2024}}</ref>

The Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee (GABCC) provides advice from community organisations and agencies to state, territory and Australian government ministers on efficient, effective and sustainable whole-of-Basin resource management and to coordinate activity between stakeholders.<ref name=GABCC/>

Membership of the Committee comprises all state, territory, and Australian government agencies with responsibilities for management of parts of the Great Artesian Basin, community representatives nominated by agencies; and sector representatives.<ref name=GABCC/>

== Environmental concerns ==
In 2011, [[ABC TV (Australian TV channel)|ABC TV]]'s public affairs program ''[[Four Corners (Australian TV program)|Four Corners]]'' revealed that significant concerns were being expressed about depletion and chemical damage to the Basin as a result of [[coal seam gas]] extraction. In one incident, reported in the program, the [[Queensland Gas Company]] (QGC) "[[Hydraulic fracturing|fracked]]" its Myrtle 3 well connecting the Springbok aquifer to the coal seam below (the Walloon Coal Measures) in 2009. A local farmer was concerned that the process might have released {{convert|130|L}} of a potentially toxic chemical into the Basin. QGC admitted the incident, but "did not alert authorities or nearby water users about the problem until thirteen months after the incident".<ref name="abc.net.au-2011-02-21/farmers-count1951670">{{cite news |title=Farmers count cost of coal seam gas rush |newspaper=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |location=Australia |date=21 February 2011 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-02-21/farmers-count-cost-of-coal-seam-gas-rush/1951670 |access-date=21 May 2011}}</ref> The safety data sheet QGC had submitted for the hydraulic fracturing chemical was derived from the United States, incomplete and ten years out of date.<ref name="abc.net.au-2011-02-21/farmers-count1951670" />

Over thirty chemicals may be used in the process of hydraulic fracturing and their long-term impact on aquifers, agriculture and people supported by them has been quantifiable and verified for quite some time.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-26/coal-seam-gas-mining-no-go-zone-linc-energy-contamination-ground/11141008|title=New CSG no-go zone aimed to quarantine contaminated Queensland groundwater|last=Robertson|first=Josh|date=26 May 2019|website=ABC News|language=en-AU|access-date=23 November 2019}}</ref> Lead, aluminium, arsenic, barium, boron, nickel and uranium have all been found beyond recommended levels in the groundwater contaminated by coal seam gas.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/environment/santos-coal-seam-gas-project-contaminates-aquifer-20140307-34csb.html|title=Santos coal seam gas project contaminates aquifer|last=Nicholls|first=Sean|date=7 March 2014|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|access-date=23 November 2019}}</ref> Instances of groundwater being contaminated and by extension poisoning the ecosystems sustained by the availability of groundwater have been widely documented, and are an exacerbating factor in regards to the population's capability to cope with drought through usage of groundwater sources in Australia.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/may/27/toxic-waste-danger-to-drinking-water-if-santos-csg-project-goes-ahead-report|title=Toxic waste could endanger drinking water if Santos CSG project goes ahead – report|last=Chan|first=Gabrielle|date=26 May 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=23 November 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

[[Glencore]] planned to inject up to 110,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year into a groundwater formation in the basin. Hydrogeologist Ned Hamer stated that the carbon dioxide would increase the acidity of the water to the extent that it would dissolve the rock, releasing heavy metals into the water and making it unusable.<ref>{{cite news |title='Not a plaything': Anger grows over mining giant's plan to inject waste into Great Artesian Basin |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-11-23/great-artesian-basin-carbon-capture-project-opposition/103080402 |access-date=25 November 2023 |work=ABC News |date=23 November 2023 |language=en-AU}}</ref> After producer advocacy group AgForce took the Federal Government along with Glencore to court, the Queensland Government rejected the proposal in May 2024,<ref>{{cite news |title=Queensland government rejects Great Artesian Basin carbon capture and storage project|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-24/great-artesian-basin-carbon-storage-plan-rejected/103889302 |access-date=24 May 2024 |work=ABC News |date=24 May 2024 |language=en-AU}}</ref> and subsequently banned [[carbon capture and storage]] using the Great Artesian Basin.<ref>{{cite news|title=Queensland government to introduce ban on carbon capture and storage in Great Artesian Basin|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-30/qld-gov-cabon-capture-storage-ban-great-artesian-basin/103915492|access-date=30 May 2024 |work=ABC News |date=30 May 2024 |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==See also==
{{stack|{{portal|Australia|Environment|Water}}}}
*[[Geology of Australia]]
*[[Guarani Aquifer]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre4bn00u-us-australia/ Ancient water source vital for Australia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107125531/http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre4bn00u-us-australia/ |date=7 January 2009 }}, ScienceDaily
*[http://www.gabcc.org.au/ Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811035421/http://www.gabcc.org.au/ |date=11 August 2014 }} - information and resources relating to the Great Artesian Basin
*[http://www.environment.gov.au/water/publications/agriculture/video-great-artesian-basin.html Water Down Under - The Great Artesian Basin Story], Video production by Anvil Media on behalf of the Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee (GABCC), 2008, Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities
*[https://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au/permalink/61SLQ_INST/dls06p/alma99183494920902061 Liquid Gold: the Great Artesian Basin in Queensland Digital Story 2014], [[State Library of Queensland]]

{{Drainage basins of Australia |state=open}}
{{Aquifers|state=autocollapse}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Drainage basins of Australia]]
[[Category:Aquifers in Australia]]
[[Category:Endorheic basins of Australia]]
[[Category:Landforms of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Landforms of the Northern Territory]]
[[Category:Landforms of Queensland]]
[[Category:Landforms of South Australia]]
[[Category:Geology of Australia|Basins]]
[[Category:Regions of Australia]]
[[Category:Regions of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Regions of Queensland]]
[[Category:Regions of South Australia]]
[[Category:Lake Eyre basin]]
[[Category:Physiographic provinces]]