Water Resources staff attend aquifer expert workshop
Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) can be an effective groundwater engineering solution for water security.
It is the process of storing or banking water in aquifers for future use. The Northern Territory (NT) currently has three operational MAR schemes, located in Warruwi, Alice Springs, and Pmara Jutunta in the Ti Tree Water Control District.
Senior Hydrogeologist Hannah Groves and Senior Regulation Advisor Ben Muller, of the Water Resources Division, were invited to attend a MAR expert workshop on behalf of the NT Government. The workshop included part of a research initiative to explore legislative and policy barriers and enablers for MAR in Australia. The workshop was organised by the University of Adelaide, CSIRO and Fulbright Australia.
The workshop highlighted research for the organisational bodies with a particular focus on MAR’s practical, legislative, and institutional experience and setting in Australia. The expert workshop brought together MAR policymakers and experts with first-hand experience of implementing MAR schemes in Australia. Representatives from New South Wales, NT, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia were in attendance. The workshop provided a forum for exchange on MAR policy progress and initiatives in Australia, while also showcasing best practice examples of MAR policy in the USA, with a presentation by Fulbright Scholar and water policy expert Professor Kurt Schwabe (UCA Riverside).
Representatives from each state and territory in attendance presented on a MAR legislation/policy case study from their jurisdiction. Representatives from the Water Resources Division presented on the current Upper King River MAR project, which is a federally funded study to determine the feasibility of implementing a MAR scheme in the Katherine region.
The workshop raised exciting possibilities for MAR scheme development in the NT, with CSIRO and representatives from across the country highlighting the NT’s opportunity to become a leader in the development of modern MAR policy and regulatory frameworks. The development of new water legislation for the NT, which will replace the Water Act 1992 in 2026, provides a unique opportunity for the NT to develop contemporary policy and legislation related to MAR.
