Water resource assessment
Victoria River Water Resource Assessment
We're partnering with the Australian Government to investigate opportunities for water and agriculture development in the Victoria River catchment, in the Northern Territory.
Publications and datasets
Southern Gulf Water Resource Assessment
Bradfield Scheme Assessment
Rapid national appraisals
Roper River Water Resource Assessment
Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment
Norfolk water assessment
Great Artesian Basin
Pilbara water assessment
Flinders and Gilbert
WIRADA
There are opportunities to unlock significant new investments in the north. This will require confidence about the scale and nature of the opportunities and understanding of the risks involved.
Millions of hectares of soil are potentially suitable for irrigated agriculture across northern Australia but access to water is one of several constraints to development.
CSIRO has been engaged by the Australian Government to assess the opportunities for water and agricultural development in the Victoria River catchment in the Northern Territory.
The Australian Government and CSIRO are partnering to investigate opportunities for water and agricultural development in the Victoria River Water Resource Assessment. © Copyright (c) 2018 totajla/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
This follows our work on the Flinders and Gilbert Agricultural Resource Assessments, the Northern Australia Water Resource Assessment, and ongoing work in the Roper and Southern Gulf catchments in the Northern Territory.
We are working in the Victoria River catchment with the Northern Territory government, research partners and communities. Together we will complete this assessment by June 2024.
Assessment goals
The Victoria River Water Resource Assessment aims to provide a comprehensive and integrated evaluation of the feasibility, economic viability and sustainability of water and agricultural development in the Victoria River catchment in the northern Territory.
The Assessment seeks to:
evaluate soil and water resources
quantify the scale of available surface and groundwater resources
identify and evaluate water capture and storage options
identify and test the commercial viability of irrigated agriculture and aquaculture opportunities
assess potential environmental, social and economic impacts and risks of water resource and irrigation development.
While agricultural developments may be the most likely to proceed in the foreseeable future, the Assessment also considers opportunities for, and intersections between, different types of potential water-dependent development.
Assessment activities
This is a complex project, drawing on the capabilities of scientists from across Australia.
The team's key activities include:
Surface water modelling to assess the volume and reliability of river flow
Characterising, mapping and quantifying groundwater resources
Topographic mapping and automated terrain analysis to identify and evaluate water storage and development options
Mapping land and soil suitability and production risks for agriculture and aquaculture developments
Assessing cropping and crop–forage–livestock systems with potential to generate attractive investment returns
Cost-benefit analyses for multiple uses and users of water
Identifying logistical and value chain assets, opportunities and bottlenecks
Understanding the trade-offs between water resource development and freshwater dependent marine and freshwater species and habitats
Identifying Indigenous peoples' aspirations and water values
Examining the potential for co-benefits to other industries arising from irrigated agriculture
Information and data distribution through web-based information products, reports, and community-based information sessions. For a previous example, see csiro.au/showcase/nawra
The Victoria River Water Resource Assessment is funded through the Australian Government's $3.5 billion National Water Grid Fund.
Much of northern Australia's land and water resources have not been mapped in sufficient detail to provide for reliable resource allocation, mitigate investment or environmental risks, or build policy settings that can support decisions.
Flinders and Gilbert Agricultural Resource Assessment