2018
This report was commissioned by the Department of the Environment and Energy and was prepared by CSIRO.
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About this document
This report documents regional-scale assessments that explore whether there could be noticeable consequences on the groundwater balance (i.e. groundwater heads) from enhanced inter-aquifer connectivity owing to leakage pathways from hydrocarbon wells, degraded groundwater bores, and poorly decommissioned coal exploration bores. The regional-scale assessments build on the outcomes of the previous pathway conceptualisation work, and local-scale assessments of potential consequences on the groundwater balance linked to individual leaky wells or bores. This report also explores the potential effects on groundwater quality as a result of enhanced groundwater exchange between aquifers due to anthropogenically induced leakage pathways.