Self-Supplied Remote Communities Groundwater Quality Assessment

Project overview

Remote communities in South Australia (SA) can rely on rainfall for drinking water supply. These communities are at risk of water insecurity during droughts. This includes 19 remote communities responsible for their own water supplies:

• 9 are Aboriginal Homelands
• 10 are regional communities with a high First Nations population.

Droughts could become more frequent and severe as the climate changes. This increases the risk that communities will sometimes run out of drinkable water. 

The SA Government has identified self-supplied communities within the state. This was the first step in addressing water security risks.

Groundwater may provide a climate-resilient backup water supply for these communities. We need to know more about the groundwater resources near these communities. This will help us understand whether the groundwater can provide an alternative water supply. Water quality data identifies what treatments are needed to make water drinkable. 

Goals of the assessment

This project aimed to collect information about the groundwater resources near self-supplied communities at high-risk. These communities could experience water insecurity within the next decade. Consultation with these communities highlighted water quality concerns. 

Outcomes of the assessment

The assessment identified:

• Groundwater can exceed health-based limits in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. This includes high levels of total dissolved solids, salts and metals. This water needs treatment to be suitable for drinking.
• Groundwater can exceed aesthetic limits for Manganese. This impacts housing infrastructure by damaging pipes and machinery.
• Groundwater temperature can exceed 20°C. This could promote bacterial growth. Groundwater age (time to recharge) varied. This ranged from modern (less than 100 years) to over 22,000 years. The lack of modern recharge impacts longevity of these resources.
• Communities have reported issues with existing water treatment. Treated water is often reported as unpalatable.

Actions that can improve groundwater management in remote South Australian communities include:

• communities need to know of exceedances to ensure safe use
• water treatment options need to be:
  • robust
  • low maintenance
  • suitable for conditions.
• community consultation is essential to ensure infrastructure is appropriate, sustainable and locally manageable
• alternative  water treatment technologies could address water quality issues.

Improving groundwater management will reduce community members needing to move off Country. This can occur due to a lack of water for drinking and household use.