Water is under pressure in the Great Artesian Basin.
The Great Artesian Basin covers a fifth of Australia and contains water that has been there for millions of years. Now, decades of extraction are taking their toll and traditional owners are fighting a mining giant for compensation.
ABC News, Words by Leah MacLennan & images by Lincoln Rothall, 23 Nov 25
“Each spring carries a story that connects it to the traditional owners — the Arabana people. But they say the environment — and their cultural connection to it — is under threat. Some of the springs have dried up, and the health of others has deteriorated.
“The Arabana people are now fighting mining giant BHP for compensation over what they say is damage to their cultural heritage and the loss of kuta, the Arabana word for water.”
“The federal government estimates business activity in the basin — including agriculture and mining — contributed $33.2 billion to the economy last year.
“Just a few kilometres away from the springs on Arabana Country is a BHP-owned wellfield — known as Wellfield A — that, according to the company, pumps more than four million litres of water per day to its Olympic Dam mine
“The company takes another 29 million litres per day from another area — Wellfield B — further to the west.
“There’s plenty of monitoring data that shows that the extraction that BHP have engaged in supporting the Olympic Dam project has caused draw down and significant reductions in the pressure of the GAB aquifer or aquifers near their site,”
“The company says over the past 15 years it’s reduced its reliance on Wellfield A, and will stop taking from it in the mid 2030s — when there are plans for a government-built desalination plant to service the region.” https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-23/water-is-under-pressure-in-the-great-artesian-basin/106002448
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