An ancient underground water basin the size of Libya holds the key to Australia avoiding a water crisis as climate change bites the drought-hit nation.
Australia’s Great Artesian Basin is one of the largest artesian groundwater basins in the world, covering 1.7 million sq kms (656,370 sq miles) and lying beneath one-fifth of Australia.
“There is probably enough water in there to last Australia’s needs for 1,500 years, if we wanted to use it all,” says John Hillier, a hydrogeologist who has just completed the Great Artesian Basin Resource Study.
