If new coal resource developments emerge in the future, the data, information, analytical results and models from this assessment would provide a comprehensive basis for bioregion-scale re-assessment of potential under an updated . For example, new coal resource developments could be incorporated in the model. Components such as the water-dependent (Bioregional Assessment Programme, 2017; ) remain relevant for future assessments. The information and approach may also be applicable for assessing other types of resource development.
Assessing impacts on ecosystems
Assessment of impacts on would be improved by additional vegetation mapping and ongoing research to identify in the subregion. This will improve understanding of the interactions between changes in availability and the health of terrestrial vegetation that relies on groundwater.
As actual water requirements of different plant communities is only approximately known, future assessments would be assisted by more work to identify suitable indicators of ecosystem condition, or alternative methods of assessing the condition of water-dependent ecosystems.
Groundwater data and mapping
Groundwater data available from state databases include primarily monitoring data for shallow and used for irrigation, stock and domestic purposes. These data are usually in the form of water level measurements and major ion analyses, which support understanding of processes and interactions between rivers and groundwater. However, they provide limited understanding of the deeper groundwater systems that are relevant for coal and coal seam gas development. This has been factored into the assessment’s analysis and modelling. Future assessments would be assisted by improved information on deeper groundwater systems.
Future investigations of the mapping of depth to groundwater would improve confidence in assessment predictions. Interactions between changes in groundwater availability and the health and persistence of terrestrial groundwater-dependent vegetation remain uncertain due, in part, to sparse mapping of groundwater depths outside of alluvial layers.
predictions are very sensitive to hydraulic properties of the deeper sedimentary basin, especially predictions of the surface weathered and fractured rock layer. Improved knowledge of the hydraulic properties of the surface weathered and fractured rock layer and storage is needed to better understand changes at different depths.
Groundwater modelling conducted in this assessment demonstrates that it is unlikely that faults connect shallow groundwater systems with groundwater systems associated with coal measures. However, there remains a knowledge gap in the geological understanding of the Gloucester Basin regarding the number of faults present, their orientation and other characteristics.
The modelling highlighted that the predictive uncertainty would reduce with improved characterisation of hydraulic properties of the surface weathered and fractured rock layer and more detailed information of local geology around developments.
Climate change and land use
In comparing results under two different futures in this assessment, factors such as climate change and land use were held constant. Future assessments could include these and other to more fully predict at a regional scale.
Future monitoring to confirm predictions made in this assessment should focus on the northern part of the subregion, specifically the area north-east of Stratford and including Avondale Creek, Dog Trap Creek, Waukivory Creek, Oaky Creek and the Avon River.
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- Executive summary
- Explore this assessment
- About the subregion
- How could coal resource development result in hydrological changes?
- What are the potential hydrological changes?
- What are the potential impacts of additional coal resource development on ecosystems?
- What are the potential impacts of additional coal resource development on water-dependent assets?
- How to use this assessment
- Building on this assessment
- References and further reading
- Contributors to the Technical Programme