Impact of climate change on Aboriginal community water supplies in Western Australia

Most remote Aboriginal Communities throughout Western Australia are dependent on groundwater for their water supply, and are considered to be vulnerable to the effects of climate change (Leonard, Mackenzie, et al., 2013). Remote communities throughout Western Australia were assessed and prioritised based on their potential vulnerability of their water supplies to climate change and the information available. Climate, water supply and water usage information were assessed for three communities to determine whether there is evidence that climate change is currently impacting these community. Analysis of the available data demonstrated that temperatures are increasing at all communities considered. Water consumption increases when temperature increases, although the correlation varied. Some of the water supplies appear to have changes in their water supply capacity from the existing bores. Further investigation is required to confirm whether the changes in the water supply are due to climate change reducing the availability of groundwater.