The Gnangara Mound is an area north of

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia where a large mound of sandy soil reaches an elevation of about . It stores about of fresh water, about one hundred times Perth's current annual water usage. It is currently the single most important source of

potable water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ag ...

for the city. Together with the Jandakot Mound in the south of Perth it supplies about 35%–50% of the city's drinking water. However, studies have shown that water levels in the Gnangara Mound have fallen substantially in recent times. This has had a significant impact on nearby groundwater-dependent ecosystems such as the

Wanneroo wetlands The Wanneroo wetlands are a series of wetlands, swamps and lakes that occur on the Swan Coastal Plain of Perth, Western Australia. They are linked very closely to the Gnangara Mound. They are in part, incorporated into the Yellagonga Regional P ...

and the

Yanchep Yanchep is an outer coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, north of the Perth CBD. It is a part of the City of Wanneroo local government area. Originally a small crayfishing settlement, it was developed by entrepreneur Alan Bond in the 1 ...

caves. The problem has also been causing acidification of the nearby Lakes Gnangara, Jandabup, Wilgarup and Mariginiup. The remaining

mound springs of the Swan Coastal Plain Assemblages of plants and invertebrate animals of tumulus (organic mound) springs of the Swan Coastal Plain are ecological communities in Western Australia. They have been managed under a number of other, similar names, including Mound springs of ...

depend on the aquifer and are susceptible to any dramatic change in

hydrology Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

. It is widely recognised that sustainability of the Mound as a water resource is under threat. Depletion has been blamed on a combination of

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

and excessive drawing of water.

References

* * * ;Specific Aquifers in Australia Water supply and sanitation in Western Australia Wanneroo wetlands {{Australia-geology-stub