Despite being the world's driest inhabited continent and facing a water crisis, Australia's groundwater reserves are vast but poorly understood.

 

That is about to change, however, with the birth of a new water research team at the University of NSW - thanks to $1 million worth of generosity from a Sydney business executive, Mr Gary Johnston, of Jaycar Electronics.

 

Today the team will officially get its new head with the appointment of Professor Ian Acworth as the inaugural holder of the Gary Johnston Chair of Water Management.

 

The pioneering new post is an unusual joint appointment between two Faculties - Science and Engineering - with the aim of building up the team as fast as possible and marrying theory and practice.

 

Mr Johnston says he is delighted to be able to give something back to a country that has been very good to him: "As a nation, I think it's clear that we have misused or misunderstood many of our water resources until now and I hope this appointment marks the start of a new era of better understanding and better management of our groundwater reserves in particular."

 

Professor Acworth is one of Australia's most practised groundwater researchers, with 30 years of experience in groundwater physics and hydrogeology in Britain, Africa and Australia.

His current research projects include pioneering studies of soil salinity in western NSW.

"More than 95 per cent of the world's accessible water is groundwater," Professor Acworth says. "Yet we know precious little about it and how to manage it.

 

"Australia already pipes vast amounts of underground water for agriculture and inland cities and towns and we've been using it as if it were a magic pudding that will never run out.

 

"There's an urgent need not only for research in this area but for public education about it as well."

 

* Professor Acworth's home page is here

* Jaycar's web page is here