Irrigation Futures of the Goulburn Broken Catchment

superuser — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 05:28:25 +0000

The Goulburn Broken Irrigation Futures project used scenario planning with extensive stakeholder engagement to develop a vision and strategies for irrigated agriculture in the region over the next 30 years.

IDs and People

Program:

National Program for Sustainable Irrigation

Research Type:

Research Project

Legacy (KMS) Project ID:

VPI3

Host Organisation:

Department of Primary Industries and Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures

Researchers:

Dr Q.J. Wang

Subjects

Subjects:

Data and Information

Mapping and Modelling

Innovation

Primary Industries

Catchment Management

Irrigation

Keywords:

futures

sustainable irrigation

Catchment

census

Project Information

Outcomes:

The project outputs have recorded the above regional scale and agency-specific assessments and strategies. That work will assist agencies and businesses in the region to prepare for the future of irrigated agriculture over the next 30 years. The project has also demonstrated that scenario planning can be used with communities for regional planning. It has provided a methodology for such planning that can be used by other regional communities. The methodology provides a step-by-step guide to the processes used in the Goulburn Broken Irrigation Futures project, and the lessons learnt by the project team though their implementation.

Current Activities

Status:

Complete

Background

Project Background:

The Goulburn Broken Catchment is a major contributor to the state and national economies and the quality of life of consumers. The region faces significant challenges and opportunities. Issues such as free-trade agreements, climate change, water reform, and technological developments will have a significant influence on the future. As one of the oldest gravity irrigation systems in Australia, Goulburn-Murray Water’s irrigation system needs substantial renewal of its ageing infrastructure in the next 20 years. The consequences of these pressures are highly uncertain and will impact on the region’s economy, environmental assets and social fabric. It is therefore critical that the region develops a sound plan to strategically position itself for irrigation in the future.

Aims:

The project objectives were to:

Facilitate key stakeholders to develop a shared vision for the future of irrigation in the Goulburn Broken Region over the next 30 years, and to identify scenarios of major constraints and opportunities and of regional response options
Understand the social, economic and environmental consequences of various scenarios through impact assessment that integrates the best available knowledge
Facilitate key stakeholders to build consensus on preferred regional options for future irrigation, and recommend regional follow-up actions.
Develop a methodology that can be applied elsewhere in Australia for sustainable irrigation planning at a catchment scale.

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.

All in Catchment

Irrigation Futures of the Goulburn Broken Catchment

Quantifying surface water - groundwater exchange using thermal & chemical measurements