Untapped water discovered in western New South Wales via aerial electromagnetic survey MarMarch 2021 at 3:15am The aerial electromagnetic survey is looking for ground water and minerals almost half a kilometre beneath the earth's surface. ( Share Print text only Cancel A bold plan to search for water from the air in western New South Wales has proven to be a success. Key points: The aerial electromagnetic survey looks for water and minerals about 500 metres beneath the earth's surface The initial survey, near Cobar, covered an area the size of Greater Sydney The NSW Government will extend the survey to search near Broken Hill