Module 3 - Use of stable isotopes for the management of water resources
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| Groundwater reclamation and reuse can offer a win-win scenario for the environment and agriculture. Over-utilization of groundwater can have serious local and regional impacts, e.g. localized subsidence, the drying out of creeks and streams, and salt water intrusion into coastal aquifers as a result of over-pumping of groundwater. In a climate changed, water restricted future, water resources managers will need to know how ground and surface waters interact (are inter-linked) in a much more robust manner than is often currently the case. Communities are concerned about both the volume and quality of water resources, and the effects of unsustainable use, including unsustainable abstraction, on the natural environment. Clearly farmers require a reasonable level of certainty (confidence) in both the availability and quality of the water they will use to grow crops. The development and use of new tools in water resources management will give communities greater confidence that government and agricultural industries are taking real action to minimize the risks to the environment (i.e. demonstrated ability to farm responsibly). This will help future farming systems retain community support and their license to operate. This project will validate a ground water resources assessment tool, namely the integration of isotopic analysis with multi-variate statistical techniques, to assess the inter-connectedness of water resources. The isotopic tool uses natural variation in the ratio of stable elemental isotopes in simple molecules such as water to track the sources of ground water, ground and surface water interactions, and contamination by reclaimed water. Broadly, the project is demonstrating the value of this technique for research in hydrogeology and water resource management value by:
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This document was last reviewed on 13/01/2009