Jandakot Mound
Encyclopedia
The Jandakot Mound, or Jandakot Groundwater Mound, is an unconfined aquifer
in south-western Western Australia
. It is the smaller of the two main shallow aquifers near Perth
(the other being the Gnangara Mound
, north of the Swan River) that together supply about 40% of Perth's drinking water. Its highest point lies about 18 km south of Perth’s central business district
. It stretches from the Swan River
in the north to the Serpentine River
in the south, and from the Indian Ocean
in the west to the Darling Scarp
and Southern River
in the east, covering an area of about 760 km2.
The Jandakot Mound is a sand aquifer with a saturated thickness of up to 40 m. It contains an estimated 4 200 gigalitres of fresh water, and the annual recharge can reach 76 GL. It contributes 9 GL annually to Perth’s municipal supply of drinking water and is also heavily used for private supplies. Where it is close to the surface, it supports extensive wetland systems, the most important of which are Forrestdale
and Thomsons Lake
s. It also recharges the deeper confined aquifers in the area, the Leederville and Yarragadee Aquifer
s.
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
in south-western Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It is the smaller of the two main shallow aquifers near Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
(the other being the Gnangara Mound
Gnangara Mound
The Gnangara Mound is an area north of Perth, Western Australia where a large mound of sandy soil reaches an elevation of about 60 metres. It stores about 20 cubic kilometres of fresh water, about one hundred times Perth's current annual water usage. It is currently the single most important source...
, north of the Swan River) that together supply about 40% of Perth's drinking water. Its highest point lies about 18 km south of Perth’s central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. It stretches from the Swan River
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
in the north to the Serpentine River
Serpentine River (Western Australia)
The Serpentine River is a river in the South West region of Western Australia.The river rises in the Darling Scarp below Bowerling Hill and flows westward crossing Albany Highway North of North Bannister. The river continues North West through the Youarling State Forest then the Serpentine National...
in the south, and from the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
in the west to the Darling Scarp
Darling Scarp
The Darling Scarp, also referred to as the Darling Range or Darling Ranges, is a low escarpment running north-south to the east of the Swan Coastal Plain and Perth, Western Australia...
and Southern River
Southern River, Western Australia
Southern River is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Gosnells.It was originally a rural area with chicken farms for egg production, horse breeding properties and boarding kennels for cats and dogs...
in the east, covering an area of about 760 km2.
The Jandakot Mound is a sand aquifer with a saturated thickness of up to 40 m. It contains an estimated 4 200 gigalitres of fresh water, and the annual recharge can reach 76 GL. It contributes 9 GL annually to Perth’s municipal supply of drinking water and is also heavily used for private supplies. Where it is close to the surface, it supports extensive wetland systems, the most important of which are Forrestdale
Forrestdale Lake
Forrestdale Lake is a lake nature reserve in the City of Armadale, Western Australia, approximately 25 km south of the central business district of Perth, the state capital, and on the southern fringes of the Perth metropolitan area. It lies immediately south of the suburb of Forrestdale, and 8 km...
and Thomsons Lake
Thomsons Lake
Thomsons Lake is a lake nature reserve in the City of Cockburn, Western Australia, approximately 25 km south of the central business district of Perth, the state capital, and on the southern fringes of the Perth metropolitan area. It in the suburb of Beeliar, 7 km south-west of Jandakot Airport...
s. It also recharges the deeper confined aquifers in the area, the Leederville and Yarragadee Aquifer
Yarragadee Aquifer
The Yarragadee Aquifer is a significant freshwater aquifer located in the south west of Western Australia and predominantly beneath the Swan Coastal Plain west of the Darling Scarp. It has a north-south range from about Geraldton to the south coast, but with a split in the formation south of Perth...
s.