Groundwater Source Security Assessments in Remote Communities
A groundwater sourc from a groundwater entitlement to extra
Groundwater system mapping
Kaltukatjara is a remote community in the Northern Territory which is solely reliant on groundwater drawn from a paleochannel that overlies rocks of the Amadeus Basin.2, 3 A groundwater system prospectivity map was created to better understand the capacity of the groundwater system. The elements of the groundwater system were broken down into storage capacity, recharge, permeability and water quality. The chance of each one of these elements being present and effective was mapped for the aquifer of interest. The resulting maps were then overlaid to identify the most prospective areas for groundwater. When there are multiple prospective aquifers this approach can be applied to each individual aquifer system. This approach allows the key risk and opportunities of a groundwater system to be identified allowing the selection of activities to be best matched to the threats to water security at an individual community.
1. Harrington N and Cook P, 2014, Groundwater in Australia, National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, Australia. 2. Wischusen, John D. H., 2005. Docker River (Kaltukatjara) Borefield and Monitoring Review 2005. 3. BushTel - Remote Communities of the NT, https://bushtel.nt.gov.au/ 4. Close, DF Edgoose, CJ, Scrimgeour, IR, 2003, Hull and Bloods Range, Northern Territory : explanatory notes, Northern Territory Geological Survey, https://geoscience.nt.gov.au/gemis/ntgsjspui/handle/1/81864 5. Borereports from https://nrmaps.nt.gov.au/nrmaps.html 6. Braybrook, C. J. 1970, “Docker river geophysical investigation dlh-066”. Water Resources Branch. Dept. of the Northern Territory, 7. The NT Water Data WebPortal , https://ntg.aquaticinformatics.net/ 8. SILO - Australian climate data from 1889 to yesterday, © The State of Queensland 2025, https://www. longpaddock.qld.gov.au/silo/ 9. NT Water Licence Portal, https://ntg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/ dashboards/0ec71b3d7e774e64b434034211708514
Anita Doig, Senior Hydrogeologist, adoig@wga.com.au Connected by Water, Australian Water Association, 25-26 Feb 2026
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