Roper River Water Resource Assessment

underway

Water resource assessments provide information to help understand the benefits and constraints of water development and infrastructure decisions. This is especially important for considering further development in northern Australia. With funding from our Science Program, the CSIRO is conducting water resource assessments in the Roper River, Northern Territory (NT). They are working with the Northern Territory Government, research partners and communities. This assessment is being undertaken alongside similar assessments for the Victoria River and Southern Gulf Catchment. These assessments build on previous assessments from the Northern Australian Water Resources Assessment (NAWRA) project. The NAWRA project was funded by the Australian Government. Most rivers in northern Australia are unregulated. Current surface and groundwater allocations are small. Understanding what and where these resources are will support decisions on further development. The impacts of extracting water will also be identified. They also identify the types of development and associated risks. Indigenous rights, values and development aspirations are also included in assessments. The assessment will: The research will support broader Australian Government investment and policy decisions on developing northern Australia. It will also help support state and territory government water planning. It will assist the development of updated water resource plans to support more sustainable water allocation decisions and use in the region. The assessment includes key activities to ensure environmental, social and cultural impacts are considered. Activities include: The Roper River is a large perennial river located in the Katherine region of the NT. It is the NT’s second largest river, with a basin size of 81,794km2. The Roper River’s headwaters extend northwards right up into Arnhem Land and south into the drier area of the Beetaloo Basin. The Roper River is rich in cultural history and is protected in the Limmen Marine Park and Limmen National Park.