Groundwater-surface water interaction in inland New South Wales: a scoping study

Groundwater and surface water have traditionally been managed separately in New South Wales (NSW). However, where rivers and aquifers are hydraulically connected, groundwater pumping has the potential to deplete streamflow. To highlight the major areas of connection in inland NSW, major streams were overlaid with groundwater depth data and the locations of irrigation bores. A consistent pattern was revealed related to basin geomorphology. The main areas of connection are the mid-sections of the major rivers where alluvial systems are well developed yet still narrow and constricted and groundwater depths are shallow. The mapping was validated and the processes explored by calculating water balances for a connected and disconnected reach in the Murrumbidgee River. These showed that, in highly connected reaches, river losses and/or gains are closely related to groundwater levels.