I am pleased to announce the Australian Government is funding CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, to continue the Norfolk Island Water Resources Assessment (NIWRA) monitoring program and undertake a number of associated studies.
In March, I announced the release of CSIRO’s findings from the NIWRA project. CSIRO will be returning to the island in late May and will be presenting the findings from the NIWRA to the project’s Community Steering Committee and the wider community in June. CSIRO will provide more information to the community shortly on the location and timing of the June presentation and I encourage all interested community members to attend.
The continuation of the NIWRA monitoring program will further build Norfolk Island’s much needed hydrological and hydrogeological data baseline and address key knowledge gaps, including investigating the significant drop in Norfolk Island’s water table.
An ongoing NIWRA monitoring program and the planned associated studies will greatly assist in understanding the changes affecting water resources and how we can all contribute to managing water scarcity and enhancing water security.
More information about the NIWRA including the full technical report and summary report is available online. Please visit the project’s webpage: https://www.regional.gov.au/territories/norfolk_island/norfolk_island_projects/norfolks_island_water_resources_assessment_project.aspx
Eric Hutchinson
Administrator of Norfolk Island
20 May 2021