Minister for Water and the River Murray Paul Caica said the State Government is supporting a suite of projects to explore the region’s groundwater potential, including the Finding Long-term Outback Water Solutions Initiative.

“South Australia is the place to do business and having a secure water supply to sustain industry development is critical for future economic growth,’’ he said.

“The FLOWS initiative will increase our knowledge of the region’s water resources including their capacity, quantity and quality.

“For industry this will provide valuable information on potentially viable water resources and modern tools to access groundwater details and locations, while local communities will gain a greater understanding about water availability and how it can be used.”

Mr Caica said the initiative will also benefit the environment as we will gain a greater ability to feed information back into regional planning processes to ensure environmental needs are met.

“A key project is already underway to collate information about groundwater resources in nonprescribed areas to understand the potential for future development,’’ he said.

“Work through FLOWS is supported by a $3 million investment in research by the Goyder Institute for Water Research to identify water supply options to support mining development in remote areas.”

Mr Caica said a number of other initiatives are also underway, including a Groundwater Program which will assess groundwater resources outside of the Great Artesian Basin, develop a water resource state and condition report for the Far North Prescribed Wells Area and monitor the implications of climate change on the resources.

“In addition to this, the State Government has invested $1.2 million to review and optimise groundwater monitoring networks across the State, including the Far North,’’ he said.