All in Groundwater

Dr Richard Evans

superuser — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:34:25 +0000

Dr Richard Evans is a Principal Hydrogeologist employed by Sinclair Knight Merz Consultants

In many catchments the water resources found above and below the ground are parts of the same system, linked in a poorly understood and complex manner. Yet access to surface water and groundwater is allocated as if they were independent of each other and without recognition of potential downstream impacts, particularly the effect pumping groundwater can have on stream and river flows.

IDs and People

Program:

Innovation

Program Theme:

Senior Research Fellowships

Research Type:

Senior Research Fellow

Researchers:

Dr Richard Evans

Subjects

Subjects:

Catchment Management

Keywords:

Groundwater

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

A framework to provide for the assessment of environmental water requirements of groundwater dependent ecosystems

superuser — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:12:44 +0000

This project carried over from the National Rivers Consortium Program and developed management tools to help incorporate groundwater dependant ecosystem (GDE) water requirements into water allocation planning by establishing a uniform and consistent approach to the assessment of environmental water requirements.

Preview Image:

IDs and People

Program:

Environmental Water Allocation

Program Theme:

Groundwater dependant ecosystems

Research Type:

Research Project

LWA Project Code:

REM1

Host Organisation:

Resource & Environmental Management Pty Ltd

Researchers:

Paul Howe

Subjects

Subjects:

Water (General)

Keywords:

Groundwater

ecosystems

Project Information

Outcomes:

Provide an update on the "desktop" approach to help identify potential groundwater dependent ecosystems at the catchment scale
Review the more advanced techniques available to determine groundwater dependency and the current water regime for different types of groundwater dependent ecosystems
Provide a framework to assess the natural water regime when it is suspected that it will be different from the current water regime
Development of a risk assessment framework to develop robust and defensible Environmental Water Requirements (EWRs)
Provide recommendations to help managers to develop water allocation plans that a) have the proper built-in mechanisms to ensure that water provisions for the environment are met, and b) are flexible enough to allow regular updating over time

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Impacts of groundwater affecting activities on baseflow variability and ecological response

superuser — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:02:57 +0000

This project has been completed by Stuart Richardson and Jodie Pritchard of Resource & Environmental Management Pty Ltd; Marcus Cooling of Ecological Associates; Ray Evans from Salient Solutions; and Barry Croke and Geoffrey Adams from ICAM Australian National University.

IDs and People

Program:

Environmental Water Allocation

Program Theme:

Groundwater dependant ecosystems

Research Type:

Research Project

LWA Project Code:

REM2

Host Organisation:

Resource & Environmental Management Pty Ltd

Researchers:

Paul Howe

Subjects

Subjects:

Water (General)

Keywords:

Groundwater

Baseflow

ecological response

Project Information

Outcomes:

Collect and collate hydrogeological, hydrological and ecological data relating to nominated Stage 1 locations
Assess the degree to which these data sets can be integrated to inform a conceptual model of the groundwater-surface water-ecosystem continuum for each location.
Identify data gaps in the conceptual model for each location
Use and develop new methods for assessing aquatic ecosystem dependence on groundwater baseflow
Identify work required to address data gaps, and costs, for each location
Select preferred site(s) for Stage 2 studies

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Successfully managing saline watertables to realise production and environment synergies

superuser — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:12:32 +0000

‘Strategic tree planting’ is the story Yass farmer John Ive and his family want to tell. After moving to the Yass Valley near Canberra, John transformed ‘Talaheni’ from a run down grazing property into a productive farm with increased production and environmental values.

IDs and People

Program:

Innovation

Program Theme:

Community Fellows

Researchers:

John Ive

Subjects

Subjects:

Innovation

Landscape Management

Salinity

Keywords:

Groundwater

Tree planting

2002 2003 Community Fellow

Project Information

Summary:

‘Twenty years ago saline seeps were common, pastures poor and in decline, and erosion sites active. With a combination of approaches, starting with strategic tree planting, the worst of the salinity has been rehabilitated and groundwater over substantial areas is declining’ says John.

‘It’s been a long process, but along the way I’ve learned some valuable lessons - about the need to read the landscape and appreciate the processes, to keep detailed records and to be proactive’.

With support from the Land & Water Australia Community Fellowship, John will create a website documenting his management of saline watertables to realise production and environmental synergies with 22 years of diaries, photographs and data.

Since winning his Land & Water Australia Community Fellowship John Ive and his family have won: the 2004 NSW/ACT Regional Achievers Award; were nominees for the 2003-04 National Landcare Awards; winners of won the CPA Australia Triple Bottom Line Award and received a Commendation in the Award for Outstanding Service to the Environment at the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards in June 2004; and winners of the 2003 NSW Telstra CountryWide Landcare Research Award.

John has also been a guest speaker at Land & Water Australia’s Science in the Paddock Breakfast Briefings (number four).

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Quantifying surface water - groundwater exchange using thermal & chemical measurements

superuser — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:16:14 +0000

This project will develop field equipment and a proven scientific methodology that will quantify surface water - groundwater transfer to aquifers beneath river beds and therefore contribute to the mapping of the many and complex connections and interactions between groundwater and the surface water - dams, lakes, rivers, wetlands.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

UNS5127

Host Organisation:

Water Research Laboratory - University of New South Wales

Researchers:

Prof. Richard Ian Acworth

Subjects

Subjects:

Data and Information

Mapping and Modelling

Water (General)

Catchment Management

Keywords:

Rivers

Groundwater

Catchment

Storage Reservoirs

Floodplain

Project Information

Outcomes:

As a result of this project, there will be much improved knowledge and understanding of a process that can, in turn, inform policy development and water allocation decisions. The new knowledge will allow development of advisory and/or project management services based upon deployment and interpretation of the sondes.

In addition field data acquired by the sondes could provide much needed independent confirmation of various other modelling studies.

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Background

Project Background:

Australia is often said to be the driest continent on Earth - but that’s only because of its low rainfall. In fact, while the surface of the land is dry, we have massive groundwater reserves.

Groundwater makes it possible to grow much of our irrigated crops and pastures. Governments are looking increasingly to these aquifers to provide drinking water for our growing towns and cities. Groundwater use has almost doubled nationally in the past two decades, (it now makes up more than one-fifth of all the water we harvest) yet we know far too little about how to manage it sustainably

Aims:

This project seek to design, develop and test an integrated measuring tool that can be installed and recovered from the bed of streams and rivers. It is envisaged that the tool will be 1.5 m long and 80 mm diameter with removable sensing and logging elements. The tool will comprise temperature and water level loggers and newly developed probes to monitor fluid electrical conductivity, the concentration of chloride in the water and oxygen levels. It is envisaged that multiple tools will be deployed at selected sites and recovered after 2 to 3 months for download and analysis. Data from the new sondes will provide real field data and allow a much improved conceptual model of hyporheic zone beneath and adjacent to surface water bodies that are connected to aquifers. This, in turn, will better inform management and allocation decisions.

The initial approach has been successfully tested as part of the Cotton Catchment Communities CRC program of works in Maules Creek. We are now confident that these methods can be substantially further developed and this project would undertake that work.

Managing soil salinity for wine quality in groundwater-irrigated vineyards

superuser — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 06:53:51 +0000

This project, using the Padthaway district as a case study will produce strategies to adapt (with time) the crop production system to the prevailing soil & climatic conditions, groundwater flow & quality regime and irrigation technology to achieve premium wines that continue to meet world food health standards and hence ensure export growth.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

CIF5121

Host Organisation:

SA Research & Development Institute (SARDI)

Researchers:

Michael McCarthy

Subjects

Subjects:

Salinity

Irrigation

Keywords:

Groundwater

rootzone

vines

rootstock

Project Information

Outcomes:

New practices for managing root zone salinity and protecting soil structure
Recommendations on salt excluding rootstocks for quality grape growing by informed and confident growers in the Limestone Coast region and other similar situations nationally
An integrated approach for sustainable, groundwater-based irrigated crop production systems that is tailored to the regional hydro-geology, soil types and crop production, demonstrated in a real-life example that is potentially applicable to other ground-water based horticultural regions

Current Activities

Status:

Active

Background

Project Background:

About 50% of Australia’s vineyards are irrigated with groundwater. Many groundwater basins have been overcommitted due to irrigation expansion and now feature steadily rising water salinity. Precision (drip) irrigated vineyards at nearly 100% WUE has the added disadvantage of rapid build-up of root zone salinity. The wine produced in those areas has started to exceed the Sodium Chloride (NaCl) permissible threshold for export markets. The $3 billion wine export is potentially at risk of being discredited for health reasons

Aims:

Component 1: Hydro-geology scenarios for the Padthaway district

Review previous work undertaken by DWLBC (2005) and subsequently and Aquaterra (2007)
Develop a district groundwater model with allowance for solute transport from the unsaturated zone
Integrate the outcomes of the study component 2 and 3 and any special requirements from component 4 into the future groundwater scenarios.

Components 2 & 3: Root zone salinity management and sol structure decline

Quantify the effect of 10 years of drip irrigation on the soil salinity build-up and soil structure decline in a long term CSIRO rootstock trial site in the Orlando Wyndham‘s Lawson vineyard.
Compare the current soil properties at the Lawson site with those determined by CSIRO L&W in the 1990’s and Wetherby (2005). (CSIRO in-kind comprehensive soils data from rootstock trial at Orlando Wyndham’s Lawson vineyard eg EC1:5, pH, cation and anions in soil solution).
Develop management options for reducing root zone salinity by using Hydrus 3-D model of salinisation processes in drip-irrigated vineyards, especially on Padthaway soil types.
Initiate field trials to validate the identified root zone management tools and techniques for reducing root zone salinityIn partnership with industry, establish a network of monitoring sites for soil salinity and grape juice quality in the Padthaway, Coonawarra, Wrattonbully and Mount Benson districts of the Limestone Coast GIC.
Determine regional trends in soil salinity and winegrape performance in those districts
Determine guidelines for minimising the effect of soil salinity on wine quality based on outcomes of field experiments, literature review and monitoring
Pro-actively communicate via workshops and published information the project progress and outcomes to the Limestone Coast regional and national viticulture industries.

Component 4: Rootstock selection for premium grape growing

This component comprises the existing GWRDC project CSP 06/05 “Grape juice composition and sensory quality of wine from salt excluding rootstocks and characterisation of the chloride exclusion mechanism”.