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Water 2010
National landscape water balance information for policy and planning
- Water information for policy makers and resource planners - online and at your fingertips
- Helping in understanding and planning for water resources across the country in line with the National Plan for Water Security
- Including data from: the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Geosciences Australia, the National Land and Water Resources Audit, the Australian National Committee on Large Dams, the Australian National Committee - International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, the Murray Darling Basin Commission, State Agencies and the Australian Water Resource Council.
Do you need information about water availability, reliability and use in your region?
The BRS Water 2010 project is developing an interactive website called 'Rural Water' to enable users to explore existing water data and landscape water balances in Australia's River Basins and Drainage Divisions.
A land-use-mapping-based approach to water balance modelling has been adopted to show how and where water is recharged and used in the landscape, including through evapotranspiration, run-off, deep drainage, irrigation and urban use.
The Rural Water Website is intended to be regularly updated to ensure the most accurate data is available.
Users will be able to find answers to landscape water balance and water use questions at River Basin to Drainage Division scales.
The dependence of rural communities on water, and their social resilience to changes in water supply and demand, have also been assessed as part of the project.
Features of the Water 2010 project and Rural Water Website include:
- Modelled average annual catchment water balances - by landuse and landcover type - including estimates of evaporation, transpiration, runoff, deep drainage, soil moisture, irrigation demand, return flows, and residential use.
- Reports summarising average annual water availability and use for every River Basin and Drainage Division in Australia.
- Data drawn from a large range of information sources including: the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Geosciences Australia, the National Land and Water Resources Audit, the Australian National Committee on Large Dams, the Australian National Committee - International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, the Murray Darling Basin Commission; State Agencies and the Australian Water Resource Council.
- An online mapping tool that allows investigation of modelled water cycle data and other data including rainfall reliability, modelled estimates of agricultural and residential water use and a high-resolution landuse map.
- Recent reports - Water 2010: Assessing dependence on water for agriculture and social resilience to changes in water access
Contact
Feedback and requests for additional information can be made to Rural Water or:
Dr John Sims
Program Leader
Climate Impact Sciences Program
Ph: (02) 6272 5294 Fax: (02) 6272 5825
email: Dr John Sims