There is now a stronger partnership for groundwater research on the Murray-Darling Basin.

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) has announced a $1 million purse to fund research by the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training.

The Flinders University Centre says it will use the funding to investigate groundwater and surface water interactions, the way groundwater is replenished, and the impact of social and economic factors on groundwater management.

MDBA chief executive Dr Rhondda Dickson said improving the information available on groundwater in the basin was a priority.

“We already have a solid body of research about particular aspects of groundwater, but further work is needed,” she said.

Director of the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training, Professor Craig Simmons, said he was delighted to be working with the MDBA in this new partnership.

“We estimate that almost one third of Australia’s total fresh water exists underground within the area of the Murray–Darling Basin.

“The more we learn about this resource, the better our understanding of water in the Basin as a whole”.