CSIRO is spearheading a $9 million-a-year project to help ease Australia’s current water management crisis.

A new national Water Resources Observation Network (WRON), set up by CSIRO through the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, is aiming to improve water management, and make a 20 per cent cost saving in the process.

The heart of the problem facing Australia is a lack of accurate and timely water information. An important part of the WRON vision is to transform Australia’s disparate sources of water data into a nationally accessible and consistent water information system.

By making data more available and improving modelling, forecasting and reporting tools, WRON technologies will open the door to significantly better management, reporting and forecasting of water resources.

WRON technologies will allow water managers to better anticipate changes in water availability and demand, define adequate allocations, shape demand and inform new infrastructure planning.

For more information: CSIRO, Leane Regan,

Tel: +61 2 6246 4565, www.wron.net.au