Sustainability of fresh groundwater lenses beneath rivers in dry regions: data

This dataset combines geochemical data collected from groundwater samples and pre-existing data for flow in the river and ground water levels (1980s onward) from the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). The project investigators gathered the primary data from approximately 50 bores at collection points in the Murray Basin. The geochemical data is an output of a project which was funded by Land and Water Australia and also received a grant from Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE). Ian Cartwright from Monash University worked with Tamie Weaver, Melbourne University, Craig Simmons, Flinders University and Keith Fifield from the Australian National University to investigate the risk to these groundwater lenses from land use changes and river regulation. The publicly available source DSE data can be accessed from the Victorian Water Resources Data Warehouse. The geochemical data is recorded in a spreadsheet using the measurement units in which it was collected plus calculations to convert units. It is organised by collection points for water, the bores and number. The raw data was analysed in the field and in the laboratory and provides information for the following issues: (1) the controls on the location of the lens; (2) the time scales over which the water in the lens is replenished; (3) the extent of mixing between the water in the lens and the regional groundwater; (4) whether the lens is recharged directly from the river or through the floodplain; and (5) whether the lens is growing or degrading under current hydrogeological conditions.