Farmers should not be demonised for using water from underground aquifers, as the practice can be more efficient and involve less evaporation than drawing water from a dam, says the chief of the new Murray-Darling Basin Authority.
But The Australian Financial Review reports today that Rob Freeman, who started as chief executive of the authority in December, says that groundwater extractions must be properly accounted for.
The CSIRO warned in its Murray-Darling Basin sustainable yields study, released last November, that groundwater use in the river system could double by 2030, to 3956 gigalitres a year.
Because groundwater systems are linked to streams and rivers, the CSIRO said this projected increase could reduce river flows and lead to some small rivers becoming ephemeral as water seeps down to replenish the underground supply.
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