31 Aug Response to Draft NSW Groundwater Strategy

Groundwater is water found below the land surface. This finite resource is necessary for a healthy environment, as many ecosystems depend on that. Draft NSW Groundwater Strategy highlights groundwater as a crucial resource for the NSW industry and agribusiness. That is due to its reliability and quality, especially when the state experienced devastating drought conditions in 2018-2019. Groundwater is susceptible to impacts from inappropriate land use or excessive human activities. Therefore, integrated management of this resource is of high priority.

DARE focuses on developing Data Science approaches to identify, quantify, and incorporate uncertainty into decision-making related to natural resources and the environment. And it applauds the NSW government for developing a long-term strategy for the improved informed management of groundwater resources.

The effects of management decisions can take many years to be visible; long-term investment in monitoring infrastructure and science to support water-sharing strategies will pay off over the period considered. Here is the DARE response to Draft NSW Groundwater Strategy.