Unlocking underground storage to strengthen the Basin’s water security.

Water banking, also known as long‑term managed aquifer recharge, offers a way to store water underground during wetter periods and draw on it when conditions tighten. In the Murray–Darling Basin, where climate variability and recurring drought place growing pressure on communities, industries and ecosystems, this approach presents a promising pathway to reduce evaporation losses, build drought resilience and better integrate surface water and groundwater management.

This webinar brings together technical, governance, industry and economic perspectives to explore how water banking could work in practice. Drawing on Australian and international experience, the session will examine the requirements for aquifer storage and recovery, the policy settings needed to enable water banking in the Basin, and how its costs and benefits compare with other water security options. It will also consider key risks, uncertainties and the role of demonstration projects in moving water banking from concept to reality.

• Ilka Wallis (Flinders University)
• Simone Stewart (Department for Environment and Water, South Australian Government)
• Keith Thompson (Coleambally Irrigation)