Groundwater Modelling

Southeast Queensland is one of the fastest growing regions in the nation and this is increasing demand for water. At the same time the effects of climate change are reducing the region’s natural water supplies and together, population growth and climate change are placing strains on the region’s water resources that have never been witnessed before. Of great interest to water planners and government decision makers, are the large water-bearing sand masses within region, particularly in Moreton Bay. One such resource is North Stradbroke Island, which possesses a substantial groundwater resource.

Determination of the variations in water level is essential to the management of the resource, but is difficult to model. Borehole hydrograph monitoring data is available and can be visualised (2-D and 3-D) and animated to demonstrate these recharge processes and their time-space relations.

In order to solve this problem, QCIF, Consolidated Rutile Ltd, the Queensland University of Technology and The Department of Natural Resources & Water are collaborating on a two stage project:

• Stage 1: compiling and organising data, developing the method and application;
• Stage 2: improving data transfer, and development of remote access capability for managers and stakeholders.

Outcomes

The objective of the project is to utilise advanced visualisation and animation techniques to create 3D models of the groundwater systems of sand islands to determine rainfall-infiltration-recharge relationships. These will provide a major support to managing the long term, sustainable use of the water resource.

• Understanding of the related hydrological processes, in particular the rainfall-infiltration-recharge relationships. This understanding will provide a major support to managing the long term, sustainable use of the water resource.
• Understanding the rainfall-infiltration-recharge processes via a collaborative investigation with the main users of the groundwater which will utilise advanced visualisation and animation techniques to create 3D models of the groundwater systems.

Participants

Assoc. Professor Malcolm Cox
School of Natural resource Sciences, QUT

Dr Joseph Young
High Performance Computing, QUT

Industry Participant

Tad Bagdon
Director Water Planning South East,
Natural Resources & Water

Paul Smith
Consolidated Rutile Ltd (CRL)