People and Groundwater

Water is essential to the existence of life and more so in the Northern Territory. Compared to other states In the NT is the highest user of groundwater and groundwater accounts for 90% of all of NT water supplies.

Many traditional aboriginal people would have relied on springs or spring fed streams for their survival, particularly during the long dry season. Nowadays groundwater is tapped by bores and it is the dominant source of water for towns and communities outside of Darwin.

In the arid region all public water supplies are sourced from groundwater, and the pastoral and horticulture industries heavily rely on it. The Territory's main industries; pastoralism, tourism, horticulture and mining are also mostly reliant on groundwater.