Groundwater information
The system features approximately 600 000 bores and associated lithology.
The Bureau recently released two new groundwater webpages containing supporting information for the National Groundwater Information System and the National Aquifer Framework.
Access to nationally consistent groundwater information informs decision-making about the management of important groundwater resources.
These two new webpages complement the Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems Atlas which recently won the 2013 Geospatial World Application Excellence Award for Environment Protection and Monitoring.
National Groundwater Information System
The National Groundwater Information System is a spatial database containing groundwater information from around the country. This information is provided to the Bureau by State and Territory agencies.
The system features approximately 600 000 bores and associated lithology, bore construction and hydrostratigraphy logs. Two-and three-dimensional aquifer geometries are also available for some areas.
The information is currently available by request in ESRI File Geodatabase format. A web mapping portal is also being developed.
An information sheet and frequently asked questions are available now on the National Groundwater Information System webpage.
Data work flow for the National Groundwater Information System.
National Aquifer Framework
The National Aquifer Framework is the first nationally-agreed system for naming and grouping sediments and rocks with similar hydraulic characteristics (hydrogeological units).
States and Territories use different terminology to describe hydrogeologic units. These jurisdictional variations are challenging, especially for groundwater basins that span multiple States and Territories.
By standardising terminology, the framework ensures that nationally-consistent information is available to support informed decision-making. The framework is now available on the Bureau's new National Aquifer Framework webpage.