Groundwater and surface water resources are often closely linked. This has particular implications for Australia and how we manage our water. As a result of this connectivity it is possible to allocate the same resource twice, to surface water users and to groundwater users. This double allocation of the same water has reduced the flow in our rivers and streams. There has never been a nationwide review of surface water and groundwater interaction in Australia and consequently the extent of double allocation is unknown. There is also no national approach to managing our groundwater, nor an agreed method for assessing its links to surface water. The lack of understanding of the links between groundwater and surface water has contributed to the nation's present water shortage. This has been exacerbated by dry conditions over the last decade and by rising demands for water. It is suggested that tackling the impacts of surface water and groundwater interaction requires a national approach on three fronts - technical, managerial and educational. Several approaches are proposed for assessing and managing our groundwater resources, and recommendations made for their adoption. It is also argued that remedying the over-allocation of surface water and groundwater should be borne equitably by all users, with cuts and restrictions applied generally rather than to groundwater users alone.

n its continuing investment in the vegetation arena, Land & Water Australia has published its Native Vegetation and Biodiversity R&D Program Plan for the current five year planning time frame. The 2005 - 2010

Rivers Flyer November 2006 (Knowledge Bazaar)

Flyer on Research and development in Managing climate Change

Evaporation reduction from farm dams in Australia is regarded as one of the few areas where there are real water savings to be made. At this stage, there are a number of commercial evaporation reduction systems available that use either a hard or polymer cover. Currently these systems are deemed to be viable (M. Durack pers. comm., 2004) for high value crops such as table grapes but are generally not financially viable for lower value crops such as sorghum or cotton. The Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Queensland (NR&M) has invested $650,000 to test a number of evaporation systems. There is likely to be other private and public research occurring.

Land, Water & Wool is an ambitious research and development program spanning 5 years that sought to examine key natural resource issues faced by woolgrowers in a commercial context. It has generated new information to help bridge the current gaps between natural resource management (NRM) and woolgrowing practices. The program has provided the Australian wool industry with enhanced knowledge and tools to better understand and minimise its environmental impacts, while at the same time enhancing or maintaining productivity and profitability. Before this program, the wool industry's R&D investment in NRM was fairly limited. Now, the Australian wool industry is recognised as a significant player in the identification and implementation of more sustainable farming practices.

Extensive work on soil structure by researcher Dr Bruce Cockroft from Northern Victoria has brought the maintenance of soil structure into the spotlight as a promising area for irrigators to work on to improve their yields. An overview of Cockroft's research has been prepared by Dr Rob Murray at the University of Adelaide for the National Program for Sustainable Irrigation.

National Dryland Salinity Program Investment Profile 1998 2003