NSW Groundwater Strategy
A strategy to deliver on a key action in the NSW Water Strategy: an enhanced focus on sustainable groundwater management.
Read the NSW Groundwater Strategy (PDF. 19.6MB)NSW Groundwater Strategy – Summary
A condensed version of the strategy outlining the strategic context, priorities, and actions.
Read the NSW Groundwater Strategy - Summary (PDF. 3.6MB)About the strategy
Our groundwater resources are becoming increasingly vulnerable due to changing climate conditions, population growth and increased land use. A long-term direction – harnessing the latest science available – is needed to make sure the way we manage groundwater continues to evolve to tackle the critical challenges it faces now and in the future. The NSW Groundwater Strategy delivers on a key priority of the NSW Water Strategy by ensuring an enhanced, state-wide focus on sustainable groundwater management for the next 20 years.
NSW has a robust, world-leading approach to managing our groundwater resources. While this approach has served us well, the NSW Groundwater Strategy builds on and improves the way groundwater resources are managed and used in NSW for the next 20 years.
The strategy has been developed via an evidence-based, whole-of-government process with the technical input of an external advisory panel of world-class experts.
It identifies the main challenges confronting the state’s groundwater resources and the modern-day issues driving the need for our groundwater management approach to evolve and deliver long-term groundwater sustainability for NSW.
Twelve strategic actions, within 3 priorities, underpin the department’s response to these challenges and issues – providing a blueprint for devising and delivering initiatives that will protect and future-proof our groundwater resources.
Strategy at a glance
Facts about groundwater
How does the strategy tackle climate change?
A key purpose of the NSW Groundwater Strategy is to ensure we have the right information to inform the right decision at the right time.
The NSW Government is using our new climate data in collaboration with the CSIRO to model the effects that climate conditions may have on groundwater resources.
This report is now available: Impact of climate change on groundwater in NSW (PDF. 15.5MB)
What is Groundwater? from DPE External Communications on Vimeo.
Supporting information
Groundwater guidelines
Two companion documents support the NSW Groundwater Strategy. These include further information on the state’s groundwater resources and how they are managed.
- Guide to groundwater resources (PDF. 23.7MB) - An overview of the state’s groundwater resources–where they are; their quantity, quality and environmental attributes; and the values they support.
- Guide to groundwater management in NSW (PDF. 7.4MB) - An overview of the state’s current groundwater management framework.
How was the strategy developed?
Information used to develop the NSW Groundwater Strategy included:
- Challenges and opportunities for groundwater management in NSW by Jacobs Consulting (PDF. 193KB)
- Aboriginal Cultural values for groundwater by Associate Professor Bradley Moggridge (PDF. 1.6MB)
- Recommendations from this report are being considered in the development of the NSW Aboriginal Water Strategy.
Also, through the Regional Water Strategies program, we worked with communities across the state over a three-year period to understand groundwater challenges and opportunities. We then engaged publicly online on a draft NSW Groundwater Strategy.
Feedback received on the draft strategy from this engagement was used to refine the strategy and develop the first implementation plan.
NSW Groundwater - What we heard report
529 stakeholders participated in the engagement program and we received 59 formal submissions.
Submissions
The following are the submissions we collected from community and stakeholder during consultation on the draft strategy.
- Draft NSW Groundwater Strategy 2022 - Submissions 1 to 15
- Draft NSW Groundwater Strategy 2022 - Submissions 16 to 30
- Draft NSW Groundwater Strategy 2022 - Submissions 31 to 45
- Draft NSW Groundwater Strategy 2022 - Submissions 46 to 55
FAQs from stakeholders during engagement
Find out about the strategy’s 3 priorities and 12 actions.
Keep up to date with the action we’re taking to implement the strategy.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the NSW Groundwater Strategy, please email us on water.enquiries@dpie.nsw.gov.au