GEORGINA RIVER

MACKAY

BURT

TODD RIVER

FINKE RIVERMACKAY

HAYRIVER

AHAKEYEABORIGINAL LAND TRUST

BUSHY PARKNT Por 687

AILERONNT Por 703

PINE HILLNT Por 725

NT Por 6153

NT Por2673

NT Por6152

NT Por2096

WOODGREENNT Por 2673

NT Por3694

NT Por2427

NT Por 3636

NTPor

1802

MOUNT SKINNERNT Por 704

ALCOOTANT Por 4029

NT Por3520

NT Por6110

NT Por6109

NT Por6108

CENT

RAL

AUST

RALIA

RAILW

AY

CENTRALAUSTRALIA

RAILWAY

CENT

RAL

AUST

RALIA

RAILW

AY

325000mE 350000mE 375000mE 400000mE

325000mE 350000mE 375000mE 400000mE

325000mE 350000mE 375000mE 400000mE

7550

000m

N75

2500

0mN

7500

000m

N74

7500

0mN

300000mE 325000mE 350000mE 375000mE 400000mE 425000mE

7475

000m

N75

0000

0mN

7525

000m

N75

5000

0mN

7550

000m

N75

2500

0mN

400000mE 425000mE

375000mE

350000mE

325000mE

300000mE

7500000mN

7475000mN

A

B

DISTANCE - kilometres

0 10 20 30 40 453525155

RN

172

73

RN

172

72

RN

172

71

RN

172

70

RN

172

69

RN

172

68

Watertable

EL

EV

AT

ION

(me

tre

s A

HD

)

500

200

300

700

400

600

B

500

200

300

800

400

600

700

A800

(See Main Map for Location of Cross-section)

WO

OD

FORD

ERI

VER

STU

AR

TH

IGH

WA

Y

Bedrock (greywacke, siltstone,granite, and metamorphic rocks

Sand, silt & clayTi-Tree Basin Aquifer

Clay, silt, brown coal & minor sand

Ti Tree

Pine Hill

Mt Skinner

Woodgreen

Bushy Park

Gem Fields(Roadhouse)

microwave tower

microwave tower

HIG

HW

AY

STUA

RT

HIG

HW

AY

STUA

RTST

UA

RT

ST

UA

RT

HIG

HW

AY

HIG

HW

AY

PLENTY HIGHWAY

HIGHWAY

ROSSNAMATJIRA

DRIVE

TANAMI

ROAD

STUART

HIG

HW

AY

HIG

HW

AY

SA

ND

OVE

R

STUA

RT

SANDOVER

Pinn

acle

Rd

HIGHWAYPLENTY

Road

Adelaide Bore

HIGHWAY

HIG

HW

AY

1000

1000

1000

1000

1500

1500

1500

1000

1000

1500

2000

10001500

2000

1500

2000

1500

10

10

10

20

20

20

40

40

60

60

10

10

10

10

500

510

520

530

540

550

560

570

540

550

4040

30

3020

20

10

10

50

40

30

20 10

50

50

40

50

50

60

60

40

3020

10

10 2030

40

50

60

60

50

40

30

20

20

10

10

10

10

20

2030

30

40

40

50

50

60

60

10

20

30

30

30

40

40

40

50

50

60

60

70

50

20

RIV

ER

WO

OD

FO

RD

E

HANSON

RIVER

RIV

ER

WO

OD

FO

RD

E

HANSON

RIVER

WO

OD

FO

RD

E

WO

OD

FO

RD

E

RIVER

RIVER

RIVERRIVER

HAN

SON

HAN

SON

FL

OO

DO

UT

FL

OO

DO

UT

FL

OO

DO

UT

FL

OO

DO

UT

ALLU

NG

RA

ALLU

NG

RA

CK

CK

PLENTY

RIVER

RIV

ER

RIVER

RIVER

Deering Creek

SANDOVER

HALE

TODD

HA

NS

ON

LAN

DER

RIVER

LakeLewis

RIVER

Creek

Anira

Ath

inna

Cre

ek

Allungra

Cre

ek

Creek

Gille

n

Edwar

ds

Creek

Creek

Mu

elle

r

Creek

Muelle

r

Camerons Dam

RIV

ER

WO

OD

FOR

DE

WOODFORDE

RIVER

Creek

Western

HAN

SO

N

RIVER

Creek

Stallion

HANSON

RIV

ER

Creek

Saltbush

Allungra Waterhole

Mulga Waterhole

Ken Soak

Tinarkie Soak

RN 17273

RN 17272

RN 17271

RN 17269

RN 17268

RN 5507

RN 5506

RN 12594

RN 17270

MuellerDam

Bushy ParkDam

25 MileDam

Whitewood Dam

White Hills Tank Elbreda Dam

Whiterock Dam

Unrapa Tank

Yerik Tank

Chiripee Dam

Redcliff Dam

BankDam

G0280010

G0280010

WHITE HILL YARD

TI-TREE BASIN

HALE BASIN

FARM BASIN

WAITE BASIN

WHITCHERRY BASIN

MOUNT WEDGE BASIN

Ti-Tree

Ti-Tree

Ti-TreeTi-Tree

Ti-TreeYuendumu

Mt Liebig

Papunya

Kunparrka(Haasts Bluff)

Hart Range

Hermannsburg

ALICE SPRINGS

BarrowCreek

Nturiya

Pmara Jutunta

Ti-Tree

AdelaideBore

AngulaMulga Bore

C Northern Territory of Australia

Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts

This map was producedon the Geocentric Datum

of Australia 1994 (GDA 94)

5 10 15 kmkm 0

For further information contact:Principal Engineer, Water Resources, Land and Water Division,

Department of Natural Resources, Environment and the Arts.Ph. (08) 8999 3606, Fax. (08) 8999 3666

Goyder Centre, Chung Wah Terrace, Palmerston, Northern Territory of Australia.

Railway

Gas Pipeline

Property Boundary

Station Homestead

Principal Road - Sealed

Marginal forHorticulture

Salt TolerantCrops

Stock

Town Boundary

Water Bore

Line of Cross-sectionBA

Limit of Ti-Tree Basin

0

1000

1500

2000

TDS

(m

g/L

)

DEPTH TO WATER

Excavated Tank or Dam

Woodgreen

Track

Minor Road - Sealed / Unsealed

Limit of Ti-Tree Basin Aquifer

QUEENSLAND

VICTORIA

TASMANIA

NORTHERNTERRITORY

WESTERNAUSTRALIA

SOUTHAUSTRALIA

NEW SOUTHWALES

NORTHERN

TERRITORY

TENNANT CREEK

ALICE SPRINGS

KATHERINE

JABIRU

NHULUNBUYDARWIN

STUDYAREA

MAP LOCALITY

Fenceline

AQUIFER THICKNESS

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80metres

GROUNDWATER SALINITY

DEPTH TO WATER

GROUNDWATERSALINITY & USE

Human Consumptionand Horticulture

0

10

20

40

60

CROSS-SECTION A - B

WATER YEAR

0

19

67

19

68

19

69

19

70

19

71

19

72

19

73

19

74

19

75

19

76

19

77

19

78

19

79

19

80

19

81

19

82

19

83

19

84

19

85

19

86

19

87

19

88

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

20

01

20

02

20

03

20

04

20

05

MO

NT

HL

Y R

AIN

FA

LL

(m

m)

100

200

300

500

600

545

555

400

550

510

520

515

GROUNDWATER LEVELS and MONTHLY RAINFALL

RN 12594

See Main Map forLocation of Observation Bores

RN

’s 5

50

6 &

55

07

RN

12

59

4

WA

TE

R L

EV

EL

(m

etr

es

ab

ove

se

a l

eve

l)

Geology Boundary

LEGEND - CROSS-SECTION

Main Aquifer

Watertable

Standing WaterLevel April 2005

RN

172

68

Bore withRegistered Number

0 5 10 15kilometres

20kilometres5

Black numbered lines are 25000 metre intervals of the Map Grid ofAustralia (MGA) Zone 53 Universal Transverse Mercator Projection

Horizontal Datum: GDA 94 Vertical Datum: AHD (metres)

SALINITY As with most arid zone groundwaters, those in the basin contain moderate amounts of salt(predominantly common salt, sodium chloride). Salinity, expressed as Total Dissolved Solids on the map below variesacross the basin. The salinity is related to how easily water can get into the aquifer. Where recharge is high, salinities arelower but where recharge is low salt becomes concentrated in the soil and sub-soil by evapotranspiration and this iseventually flushed into the groundwater. In places, higher salinities may limit the use of the water.

The nitrate content of the groundwater also limits its use for human consumption over much of the basin. It is natural inorigin and is produced by nitrogen fixing vegetation and termites.

What goes in must eventually come out! D I S C H A R G E usually occurs at low points in the landscape. Inthe map area there are no springs or swamps that could discharge groundwater. Stirling Swamp located near Wilora,60 km north of the basin is thought to be a discharge point for groundwater that leaves the basin via the narrow outleton its northeast side.

Within the basin the main mechanism of discharge is evaporatranspiration. The acacia shrubland that covers the areais capable of tapping the watertable where it is shallow enough. The map below indicates the depth below groundlevel of the water table.

No Record

No Record

No Record

Dep

th -

met

res

AH

D (

Ap

ril 2

005)

5 10 15 kmkm 0

Gauging stationG0280010

WATER LEVELS

REGIONAL SETTING

The TI-TREE BASIN is one of many small sedimentary basins found across Central Australia. It startedto form around 65 millions years ago when lakes and swamps occupied a depression in the landscape. Initially clayand peat began to fill the basin but later, rivers carried sand, silt and clay, forming the upper portion of the basins fill.

20 40 80 kmkm 0 60

Cainozoic Basin

Limit of Ti-Tree Basin Aquifer

Surfacewater CatchmentMACKAY

HALE BASIN

Groundwater R E C H A R G E is the process where water seepsdown into the aquifer. Due to the low average rainfall (318 mm/year) and itssporadic nature, the aquifer does not receive recharge every year. The abruptrises in groundwater levels seen on the graph to the right, record rechargeevents, typically associated with heavy rainfalls. An exceptionally large eventoccurred in the mid to late 1970’s. Groundwater levels have still not fallen topre-1970’s levels over much of the basin. The long term average recharge isestimated at 2 mm/year, a relatively small amount.

Recharge is not evenly distributed across the area but is thought to beconcentrated in flood-outs. These are features where rivers enter the basin fromadjoining hills and then fan out across the plains into numerous channels. Duringthe rare times that the rivers flood, most of the water soaks into the sandy soilsof the flood-outs and the flood-waters only reach a limited distance from the hills.The Allungra Creek and Woodforde River flood-outs are the most importantrecharge areas in the basin.

Once in the aquifer, G R O U N D W A T E R M O V E S horizontally under the action of gravity.The directions that the water moves can be deduced from the watertable map below. It moves from where the watertable ishigh to where it is low. Recharge areas tend to be in the high watertable zones and discharge from the aquifer tends to occurwhere the watertable is lower. Groundwater flows relatively slowly (centimetres to metres per year) due to the low hydraulicgradients that drive the process and the resistance of having to pass through the minute pores between sand grains.

The dominant pattern of flow is from south to north. The groundwater that is not used by evapotranspiration is funnelled intothe narrow outlet on the basins north east side.

WATER LEVELS

550

Road

Groundwater Flow

Observation Bore

Property Boundary

Water Level Contour- metres AHD

(April 2005)

5 10 15 kmkm 0

Family OutstationAngula

The main Ti-Tree Basin A Q U I F E R (water bearing formation) isdeveloped in the old river sands. It is located as shallow as 10 metres to over60 metres below the ground. In places moderately high yields (5 to 15L/second) can be extracted from bores. Variations in thickness of the aquiferand in the amount of silt and clay mixed with the sand make for considerablevariability in bore yield. Aquifers occur beneath the main aquifer but they aregenerally limited in extent and thickness.

The cross-section above shows the location of the main aquifer in relation tothe two main geological layers.

Current Monitoring Bores

Ti-Tree BasinAquifer

This product and all material forming part of it is copyright belonging to the Northern Territory of Australia.You may use this material for your personal, non-commercial use or use it within your organisation for

non-commercial purposes, provided that an appropriate acknowledgement is made and the material is notaltered in any way. Subject to the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Act 1968, you must not make anyother use of this product (including copying or reproducing it or part of it in any way) unless you have the

written permission of the Northern Territory of Australia to do so.

The Northern Territory of Australia does not warrant that the product or any part of it is correct or completeand will not be liable for any loss damage or injury suffered by any person as a result of its inaccuracy or

incompleteness.

Satellite image sourced from

Terrametrics R , TruEarth R imagery

Cartography by L. J. Fritz,Spatial Data & Mapping Branch,

Land and Water Division,Department of Natural Resources, Environment

and the Arts, Northern Territory of Australia.

Design File: Ti-Tree-Basin_GWater_m53Plot File: Ti-Tree-Basin_Groundwater_250k

Data Source;

Cadastre - Department of Planning & Infrastructure,Northern Territory of Australia.

Topography - GEODATA TOPO 250KGeoscience Australia, Canberra, ACT.

RN 5506

RN 5507

The TI-TREE BASIN AQUIFER

Ti-Tree Town

Major CommunityNturiya

Proposed Property Boundary

Prepared and produced by theDepartment of Natural Resources, Environment

and the Arts, Northern Territory of Australia,September 2007.

Hydrogeology by R. Read and S. J. Tickell,Water Resources Branch, Land and Water Division,

Department of Natural Resources, Environmentand the Arts, Northern Territory of Australia.