Why groundwater is one of our most precious resources

However, overuse of groundwater during droughts and aquifer depletion has already seen water crises, including in Australia's 'food bowl' the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB), California and Cape Town in South Africa, with more likely to follow with groundwater management largely reactive and unlikely to avert more crises as climate change accelerates and populations grow.

So why are these vital resources poorly managed and misunderstood?

Globally the need to manage freshwater supplies is rising by the day, with the United Nations issuing a dire warning for large tracts of highly populated and other arid and semi-arid countries around the world if more regulations are not put in place on groundwater. A 2009 World Resources Group report forecast the world would face a 40% water deficit by 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario.

"Groundwater makes up almost all of the available freshwater on our planet: 97% of fresh water on earth lies in the ground beneath our feet," says Flinders University Distinguished Professor of Hydrogeology Craig Simmons, a lead contributor to the UN World Water Development Report 2022 released on World Water Day (22 March 2022).

Groundwater supplies half of the world's drinking water and 43% of the water used to grow good, and is widely used by mining and industry too.

Professor Simmons says examples of commercial interests such as irrigators working collaboratively with local communities on groundwater management and protection are necessary to protect valuable groundwater resources.

For example, the Angas Bremer irrigation district in South Australia, known as driest state in Australia, presents a rare and successful local collective action which provides guidelines for future management and possible government reforms, says Professor Simmons, also a co-author of a new article in the Journal of Hydrology.

The irrigation district is at the lower end of the very complex and sensitive socio-ecological system, the MDB. Located at the end of the basin, the Angas Bremer area does not have control over upstream water-management decisions but did commence work on co-management plans more than 50 years ago.

The new research article, 'Coming together: Insights from an Australian example of collective action to co-manage groundwater,' considers the collective local economic, social, and environmental decisions that have helped create a valuable example of groundwater management for others around the world, Professor Simmons says.

"By working together with the government department, the local committee has developed and implemented innovative water management policies which led to reduction of groundwater extractions by 80%, promoted artificial recharge from excess surface water, changed crops for increase profitability, and decreased water consumptions, and constructed pipelines accessing surface-water sources," the study concludes.

While central government regulation and funding is important, this case study highlights the benefits of regulators giving local users some autonomy to devise their own rules and build trust between key stakeholders.