Mataranka hot springs 'at risk' in planned water carve-up, water economist warns

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Northern Territory,Mataranka,Hot Springs

A leading water economist and traditional owners warn the iconic Mataranka thermal springs may be under threat if a controversial water plan — now closed for consultation — proceeds as drafted.

The NT government's draft Mataranka Water Allocation Plan allows the extraction of up to 62 billion litres each year from the Tindal Limestone Aquifer , nearly double the current limit.Consultation on the plan closed earlier this month with a final version to be presented to the NT water minister upon completion.

"There's world-class springs here – wonderful clarity of water, wonderful places that people come to, Australians and people from all over the world," Professor Grafton said."They're threatened from too much extraction of water, and also what happens to wastewater."Current water licences for the Tindal Limestone Aquifer, which discharges into the springs and feeds the Roper River, allow for 34 billion litres of extraction each year.

But Adam Gaston, a Mangarayi man and resident of the nearby Jilkminggan community, said he had already seen impacts from agricultural extraction on other springs in the area. The only three Indigenous members of an advisory committee working on the plan quit in protest in September 2023.

Northern Territory Mataranka Hot Springs Water Plan Mangarayi Tindal Limestone Aquifer Gas Fracking Beetaloo

 

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