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Great Artesian Basin
large Artesian aquifer in Australia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Great Artesian Basin in Australia is the largest and deepest aquifer (artesian basin) in the world. It stretches over 1,711,000 square kilometres (661,000 sq mi), which is 22% of the surface area of Australia. This includes most of Queensland, the south-east corner of the Northern Territory, the north-east part of South Australia, and northern New South Wales. The basin is 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) deep in places. It may contain 64,900 cubic kilometres (15,600 cu mi) of groundwater.[1] Its temperature ranges from 30°C to 100°C.[2]
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The basin is the only reliable source of freshwater through much of inland Australia.[2] The Great Artesian Basin Coordinating Committee (GABCC) coordinates activity between the various levels of government and community organisations.[3]