In January 2025, the Northern Territory (NT) Government announced a new $34.3 million funding partnership with the Australian Government.
This investment will improve access to essential water supplies in 10 remote communities through water investigations, bore drilling, and equipping.
For much of the NT (outside of Darwin), groundwater is the primary source of community water supply. Bores and pumps transport water from underground aquifers to the surface, and through a network of pipes and tanks, it reaches the tap for people to use.
Knowing where to drill a bore to access water requires considerable science and effort. Engineers need to determine whether the water is of good enough quality to drink and how much is needed to meet current and future demands. Investigative bore drilling is used to identify and test the viability of new water sources.
For some remote Aboriginal communities, existing water sources are under stress or constrained to current extraction levels. Additional, better-quality, better-yielding water sources need to be found to build more houses, reduce overcrowding, improve health, and expand needed community facilities.
The Better Bores for Communities initiative, which includes $6.5 million from the NT Government and $27.8 million from the Australian Water Grid Fund, will see water source investigations and bore drilling in:
- Robinson River (Mungoorbada)
- Warruwi
- Yuelamu
- Titjikala
- Finke (Aputula)
- Atitjere (Harts Range) and
- Gapuwiyak.
Additionally, essential equipment (like pumps and pipes) will be installed to connect new water sources to:
- Wugularr (Beswick)
- Haasts Bluff and
- Ntaria (Hermannsburg).
The projects seek to improve liveability, enable more economic opportunities, and support sustainable growth in these communities by increasing the amount of water available.
Power and Water will lead the works with water source exploration, which will commence in early 2025. All activities are expected to be completed by 2027.
These projects align with the work of the Territory Water Plan, a whole-of-government strategic framework to deliver water security for all Territorians now and into the future. The Office of Water Security (Department of Lands, Planning and Environment) works across NTG agencies to bring priority water security projects forward for submission to the National Water Grid fund. Over $70 million in investment from the Australian Government has been achieved for remote communities’ water security projects across the NT.
This is just one of the many NT projects supported by the National Water Grid Fund. NT Government and Power and Water are already working to deliver water infrastructure projects in Maningrida, Millingimbi, Numbulwar, Yuendumu, Yirrkala and Gunyangara (Gove Peninsula). An assessment of remote community water supplies and prioritising infrastructure needs is also being funded.
To read more about these projects, visit the National Water Grid website.
