Final Report

Precision Irrigation

This report is the outcome from a NPSI funded review of relevant irrigation research, existing technologies and the use of precision irrigation. It includes an assessment of the role of current irrigation application technologies in precision irrigation, as well as variable rate applications, adaptive control and the sensing and decision support requirements. The review also provides a framework to guide research and development of precision irrigation (more)...

Long Term Sustainability of Precision Irrigation

This report details the research identifying the causes and the decline of soil structure under irrigation drippers in the Barossa Valley vineyards. Irrigated vineyards in Australia have seen extensive adoption of drip irrigation. At the start of this project there was concern about the sustainability of drip irrigation based on previous field observations. Drip irrigation conserves water but the concentrated nature of its application was believed to cause serious soil structural (more)...

Demonstration & Evaluation of Riparian Restoration in the Johnstone River Catchment

Demonstration and Evaluation of Riparian Restoration in the Blackwood Catchment

Land & Water Australia Final Report 2009-10

Land & Water Australia’s final report for 2009-2010. Covering the last 4 months of operation.

Groundwater and Surface Water Interactions in the Fractured Rock Areas

This report entails the component of works undertaken in the Wilyabrup catchment, located in the south west of Western Australia, near the town of Cowaramup and Smith Brook catchment located in the south west of Western Australia immediately south of the town Manjimup. These catchments were selected as they are both reliant on reliable water supplies to sustain established agricultural and viticultural systems.

Trial provision of an independent advisory service to assist regional NRM bodies select decision making approaches

This project, entitled “Trial provision of an independent advisory service to assist regional NRM bodies select decision making approaches” was intended to support Land & Water Australia’s Knowledge for Regional NRM Program. This program is designed to improve access to decision making approaches by NRM bodies across Australia. The Advisory Team for this Trial was made up of (more)...

Modelling Microbial Utilisation of Macrophyte Organic Matter Inputs to Rivers under Different Flow Conditions

The timing and composition of organic matter (OM) inputs to rivers are important as carbon plays a major role in river functioning. Management of Australian rivers since European settlement has altered inputs of organic matter to these systems. Heterotrophic microbes play a critical role in the transformation of OM in rivers, allowing transfer of carbon to other biota. Alteration to the proportions of OM from different (more)...

Innovative techniques for managing multiple threats to high value aquatic systems

This four-year multidisciplinary R&D project, supported by a range of agencies and organisations leveraged off core funding by Land & Water Australia, aimed to rehabilitate Dowd Morass, a 1,500 ha Ramsar-listed wetland fringing Lake Wellington (Gippsland Lakes, south-eastern Victoria).  A substantial component of the R&D project involved the landscape-scale manipulation of water regimes using as BACI-type experimental design.  (more)...

Algal availability of phosphorus discharged from different catchment sources

Algal Management Strategies, Nutrient Management Strategies and Catchment Management Plans frequently have as a major focus the reduction of phosphorus loads to surface waters. The expressed intention of the nutrient control is to reduce the frequency and intensity of algal blooms, particularly blooms of toxic cyanobacteria. In many instances a direct link between the magnitude of algal blooms and phosphorus loads has not been demonstrated. However, there is appreciable information in the scientific (more)...