Three bores will be drilled this week to measure and monitor salinity and ground water below Bendigo.

The North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) is drilling the three 30-50m bores at Jackass Flat, Golden Square and Kennington as part of a joint project with the City of Greater Bendigo.
According to Phil Dyson, a local hydrogeologist overseeing drilling operations for the North Central CMA, Bendigo currently has a significant salinity problem in the City's ground water.
"Bendigo already has a fairly bad problem with salinity, so it's important we understand as much as possible about the relationship between the water table, natural seasonal variances and the City's urban activities," he said.

"There are already guidelines in place to help manage developments in areas subject to shallow saline ground water, but more needs to be understood about what's really going on.
The ground water below Bendigo flows from the southern areas of town to the lower end of the valley on the northern side. It is transferred through a series of interconnected north-south trending fractures and faults in the rock, as well as via old mining tunnels.

The location of the three bores follows this flow of the ground water. They must be deep enough to sit within the rock.

"Once the bores are in place, electronic monitoring equipment will be installed to measure salinity content of the ground water and water pressure to ascertain changes in the level of the water table," said Phil.

"The key question we want to answer is how much influence urban water users have on the quality and level of the water table under the City, compared with seasonal changes.

"Measurements will be taken every 30 minutes, 365 days a year. We will be able to combine this data with local weather information to get a good picture of what is going on regarding natural seasonal variability. 

"We will also be able to monitor the impact of changes to the ground water in response to the way residents of Bendigo are using water, such as if restrictions are eased and garden watering starts again or if there are substantial new urban developments.

"It will help the City to better plan and manage the impact of urban growth to minimise any negative impacts in terms of problems with new developments in salt prone lands."
This project is jointly funded by the City of Greater Bendigo and the Victorian and Australian Governments.

For further information please contact: 

Communications Officer, North Central CMA
PO Box 18, Huntly VIC 3551
t: 03 5448 7124
e: info@nccma.vic.gov.au