Latest news
Australia’s groundwater resources support communities, industries and the environment across the country
With our highly variable surface-water supply and decreasing rainfall across large parts of the continent, groundwater resources are increasingly becoming a lifeline for many Australian communities and industries.
Indeed, in many parts of the country, groundwater is the only reliable water supply available to support towns, including large cities (such as Perth), agriculture (pastoral activities and irrigation) and the resources sector (including large mining developments).
Groundwater is a finite resource. Pressure on our groundwater resources is mounting as a result of a warmer and, in some places, drier climate, expanding agricultural developments, large-scale mining and unconventional gas extraction. CSIRO develops science-based solutions to inform decision-making about groundwater resource developments and their long-term management.
We investigate the ways groundwater can contribute to make our water-dependent cities and economies become more drought resilient. Protection of our groundwater-dependent environments is a central focus.

Groundwater sampling at Boggomoss spring complex, south-east Queensland. Credit: Matthias Raiber, CSIRO.