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GAB SPRINGS
Natural discharge from the Great Artesian Basin may feed a range of types of springs, including mound springs, mud springs, boggomoss springs, spring pools or groundwater seeps.
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Springs of the GAB range in size from a few centimetres to about 100 metres in diameter.
Individual springs may be separated from the next spring by tens of kilometres of unwatered land, leading to a high degree of isolation for plants and animals dependent on spring discharges.
Springs mainly occur within twelve 'spring groups' across the Basin (see map at right). Most of these are fed by cracks and faults in rocks allowing discharge from aquifers. Others arise from rejection of inflowing water in the recharge areas of the Basin, including the Cape York, Flinders River, Barcaldine, Springsure and Mulligan River groups. |
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Springs and associated plants and animals may be threatened by draw-down of the waters of the GAB, grazing and trampling by livestock and feral animals, mechanical modification of structure (i.e. dam creation) and the introduction of exotic pasture species.
The community of native species which depend on the natural discharge of groundwater from the Great Artesian Basin for their existence has been declared an endangered ecological community under the Commonwealth EPBC Act. This listing was based on:
decline in geographic distribution
small geographic distribution coupled with demonstrable threat
loss or decline of functionally important species
reduction in community integrity
rate of continuing detrimental change
quantitative analysis showing probability of extinction
A draft recovery plan was released for public comment in January 2008 (comments period closed in April 2008). For more information see the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website. A pdf copy of the draft is avilable near the base of this page.
Resources and contacts
See our Selected Links to access resources about natural discharge springs across the Basin, and the Image Gallery for images of springs and maps.
The proceedings of the 6th GAB Springs Researchers Forum (February 2006) and a GAB Springs Bibliography (July 2006) are available on CD from the SA Arid Lands NRM Board.
Previous Springs Researchers' Forums were convened by the GAB Consultative Council. Proceedings of four of the five previous Forums are accessible through Archival Materials.
A Friends of Mound Springs group was formed in 2006. Enquiries to the Secretary Simon Lewis. The group produces an occasional newsletter - see links below. For later newsletters contact the Friends group.
Also in this Section:
Whole-of-Basin management
Key issues
Management responsibilities and stakeholders
Lake Eyre Basin, Murray Darling Basin and NRM regions
Last update 15 December 2009
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