Water Resource Management Commons^™

Grass Or Trees? Performance Of Riparian Buffers Under Natural Rainfall Conditions, Australia, Lucy Mckergow, I Prosser, R Grayson, David Weaver, D Heiner

Journal articles

Riparian vegetation can trap sediment and nutrients derived from hillslopes. Most research into the effectiveness of riparian buffers has been experimental and little quantitative data exists on performance under natural field conditions. This study reports on grass and tree buffer performance under natural rainfall conditions in two contrasting Australian environments. Buffers receiving runoff from hillslopes cropped with bananas were monitored over a 4-year period in the wet topics of Far North Queensland (FNQ). Runoff, bedload and suspended loads were measured leaving the crop and leaving 15 m wide dense grass and remnant rainforest riparian buffers. The grass buffer was able …

Merredin Townsite Groundwater Pumping And Desalination Pilot Project, Rosemary Nott, Mark Pridham, Juana Roe, Jeff Ibbott, Alan Leeson, A Leeson

Resource management technical reports

Townsite salinity affects more than 40 towns in the WA wheatbelt. Waterlogging and salinity are responsible for damamge to townsite infrastructure. Through groundwater pumping and desalination, the State Salinity Council (now the Natural Resource Management Council) granted Merredin the the chance to prevent further damage to the townsite by funding this project.

Bremer-Gairdner Catchment Appraisal Report 2003, Tim D. Overheu

Resource management technical reports

Assessment of the condition and future risks to agricultural and natural resources within the Bremer-Gairdner region in Western Australia using the Rapid Catchment Appraisal. Details include climate, geology, soil-landscape information, hydrology, waterways, wetlands and estuaries, natural vegetation, land use and infrastructure, agricultural production, demographics; soil degredation risks, hydrology risks, farming system impacts, vegetation condition and risks, infrastructure assets; and management options.

Frankland-Gordon Area : Catchment Appraisal 2003, Tim D. Overheu, Natural Heritage Trust (Australia)

Resource management technical reports

Rapid catchment appraisal to assess the condition of, and future risks to, agricultural and natural resources within the Frankland Gordon area in Western Australia.

Kellerberrin Townsite Test Pumping Results 2003, Louise Hopgood

Resource management technical reports

A production bore in Kellerberrin, Western Australia, was test pumped for 24 hours in August 2003. Data generated by the pumping were analysed with groundwater monitoring, climate and geological data. Laboratory analyses of water samples from the production bore indicate a low pH and very high levels of salinity, hardness, sodium, chloride, iron, sulphate, aluminium and manganese. This is likely to lead to scaling, blockages, staining and/or corrosion of pumps, pipes and pipe fittings.

Groundwater Investigation Buntine-Marchagee Natural Diversity Recovery Catchment, Russell John Speed, M Strelein

Resource management technical reports

A groundwater investigation was initiated in the Buntine-Marchagee Natural Diversity Recovery Catchment 200 kms north-east of Perth, Western Australia in 2002. The investigation aimed to install a regional groundwater monitoring network and characterise the regolith throughout the catchment. Drill site selection was based on establishing a series of transects to enable construction of hydrogeological cross-sections to enhance conceptual understanding of the catchment.

Agricultural Sub-Regions Of The Avon River Basin, Paul D. Galloway

Resource management technical reports

This report identifies, describes and locates nine sub-regions within the land cleared for agricultural uses in the Avon River Basin in Western Australia. The sub-regions are: Darling Range; Dale/Upper Avon; Avon Valley; Yealering Lakes; Mortlock; Northern Sandplain; south-east Lakes; Carrabin; Southern Cross. The sub-regions are described in terms of their distinguishing biophysical characteristics of: soils and related original vegetative cover; general topography; surface and sub-surface hyrdological stus; underlying geology; and rainfall and evapotranspiration range. Current dominant land use, economic drivers and land use pressures are identified for each sub-region.

Infill Groundwater Study Of The Quairading Townsite, S Ghauri

Resource management technical reports

An infill groundwater study of Quairading in Western Australia was carried out as part of the Rural Towns Program Community Bores Project to clarify reasons for localised moisture accumulation in buildings.

Wheatbelt Waterwise = Saltwise : Gardening Guide, John Colwill, Juana Roe

Bulletins 4000 -

As a result of agricultural clearing, many country towns are now feeling the effects of rising groundwater and the salt that it carries. Salinity has been identified as Australia’s number one environmental problem. While most people think that salinity means land lost to agriculture, it also poses a serious threat to many country towns. A report for the Department of Agriculture in 2001 highlighted the need for simple and cost-effective salinity management strategies to be adopted in wheatbelt towns. These included water recycling, revegetation and more efficient water use.

Assessment And Restoration Of A Neighborhood Wetland Invaded By Exotic Plant Species, Ryan Neal, Kimberly R. Payne, Lorena Moreno, Graham Duffy, Jonathan Peck, Mary C. Savin

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The University of Arkansas Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences (CSES) Club adopted a local wetland in the spring of 2002 through the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Department. This project has allowed students to interact with local community and governmental organizations as well as other academic departments within the university. Students have gained valuable laboratory and field experience through characterizing hydric soils, identifying bird and plant species, and analyzing water quality, soil nutrients, and microbial biomass. Under the main goal of restoring the wetland, the club has outlined both short and long-term objectives including soil and water assessments; removal of two …

Groundwater Trends In The Kent-Frankland Sub-Region, Arjen Ryder

Natural resources published reports

The South Coast Regional Initiative Planning Team (SCRIPT) has divided the South Coast region of Western Australia into six sub-regions. Kent-Frankland covers the catchments of the Frankland, Gordon and Kent' Rivers. Approximately two-thirds (450,000 ha) has been cleared for agriculture. This publication describes the groundwater trends, risk of shallow watertables, and technical feasibility of salinity management on agricultural land.

Soil-landscape zones are spatial units based on geology and geomorphology. Since most groundwater processes in WA are controlled by the geologic and regolith properties, these zones can be used for allocating hydrological attributes, such as groundwater characteristics and trends. The hydrological …

Groundwater Trends In The Albany Hinterland Sub-Region, Arjen Ryder

Natural resources published reports

The South Coast Regional Initiative Planning Team (SCRIPT) has divided the South Coast region of Western Australia into six sub-regions The Albany Hinterland is in the western portion (see Figure 1). It is bounded by the Pallinup River in the east. Stirling Ranges to the north and the Kent River catchment boundary in the west. Two-thirds (580.000 ha) of the sub-region has been cleared for agriculture This publication describes the groundwater trends, risk of shallow watertables, and technical feasibility of salinity management within the agricultural land

Soil-landscape zones are spatial units based on geology and geomorphology. Since most groundwater processes …

Groundwater Test Pumping In The Tambellup Townsite, Louise Hopgood

Resource management technical reports

Previous studies have concluded that the township of Tambellup is underlain by a perched aquifer. Test pumping and groundwater modelling indicated that groundwater pumping may be an effective way of protecting townsite infrastructure by lowering the water table beneath the town. This report presents results of the test pumping and provides likely bore yields, prediction of pumping influence and likely optimum production bore spacing.

Groundwater Investigation On Victoria Location 8565, East Binnu, Russell John Speed

Resource management technical reports

Describes a drilling investigation undertaken for the East Binnu area within Victoria location 8565, Western Australia. Groundwater monitoring bores were installed to assess the risk of dryland salinity developing if after clearance of native vegetation, the area is used to grow annual crops and pastures. The investigation confirmed that the risk of further salinity development in this location is extreme.

Moore River : Catchment Appraisal 2003, A Alderman, M Clarke, Natural Heritage Trust (Australia), Moore River Catchment Support Team (Wa)

Resource management technical reports

Using the Rapid Catchment Appraisal process, this report summarises current information for the Moore River catchment, Western Australia. The headwaters of the Moore River commence in Perenjori, Carnamah and Dalwallinu shires and drain southwards through Moora.

Blackwood Catchment : Beaufort Zone (Zone 4) : Catchment Appraisal 2002, Henry Brockman, Blackwood Rapid Catchment Appraisal Team (Wa ), Natural Heritage Trust (Australia)

Resource management technical reports

Using the Rapid Catchment Appraisal process, this report summarises current information for the Beaufort zone, located in the mid to southern part of the Blackwood basin, including parts of the shires of Kojonup, West Arthur, Woodanilling, Katanning, Broomehill, Wagin and Boyup Brook, Western Australia. Assesses the condition of, and future risks to agricultural and natural resources, provides information for reducing those risks and identifies the most suitable options to manage the risk.

Predicting The Effectiveness Of Farm Planning At The Byenup Hill Catchment Using A Groundwater Model, Gregory Paul Raper, L M. Guppy

Resource management technical reports

A catchment model was constructed for the Byenup Hill catchment based on detailed hydrogeological mapping, information on land mapping units and land use collected from landholders. The aim of this work was to assess the likely impact of proposed land management changes to soil salinisation and recharge in the Byenup Hill Catchment.

East Mortlock : Catchment Appraisal 2002, Don Cummins

Resource management technical reports

This report describes the soils, hydrology, natural vegetation and farming systems of the East Mortlock catchment and provides information on the threats to agriculture, infrastructure and natural resources caused by land degradation. East Mortlock covers over 800,000 hectares in the central wheatbelt. Rapid Catchment Appraisal aims to document salinity risk and management options by addressing all threats to the natural resource base, rather than isolating salinity as a separate issue.

West Mortlock Catchment Appraisal 2002, D G. Cummins

Resource management technical reports

This report describes the soils, hydrology, natural vegetation and farming systems of the West Mortlock catchment and provides information on the threats to agriculture, infrastructure and natural resources caused by land degradation. West Mortlock covers over 700,000 hectares in the central wheatbelt. Rapid Catchment Appraisal aims to document salinity risk and management options by addressing all threats to the natural resource base, rather than isolating salinity as a separate issue.

Assessing Storage Reliability Of Farm Dams, D Farmer, N Coles

Resource management technical reports

This report provides information on a method to estimate the volume of water in a farm dam and to determine how long this water will last. During periods of low rainfall, dams with farmland catchments receive limited run-off. Alternative water sources or management strategies need to be considered before the water runs out. The methods provided in this report are intended to provide to the landholder an indication of water supply over short periods only (i.e. in the order of 4-20 weeks).

Groundwater Study Of The Goomalling Townsite, Russell John Speed

Resource management technical reports

A groundwater study was undertaken in the townsite of Goomalling, Western Australia. The study consisted of a drilling program to install a network of groundwater monitoring bores. This report documents background information for the town and its catchment, the hydrogeological investigations, conclusions on the town's salinity risk and recommendations for improved water management.

High Water Use Plant Options For The Fitzgerald River Catchment : A Case Study, P L. Hill, Nadene Schiller

Resource management technical reports

This report summarises the outcomes of a project initiated to examine the potential to integrate high water use plant options into existing farm systems to combat rising watertables and reduce salinity and waterlogging. Planting options investigated include commercial trees, perennials, fodder shrubs, annual crops and native grasses. The research uses a new GIS based methodology for undertaking catchment scale land capability analyses.

Beaumont-Condingup Area : Catchment Appraisal 2002, A Alderman, Natural Heritage Trust (Australia)

Resource management technical reports

Using the Rapid Catchment Appraisal process, this report summarises current information for the Beaumont - Condingup area, east of Esperance. The object of the Rapid Catchment Appraisal is to assess the condition of, and future risks to agricultural and natural resources, and provide information for reducing those risks within geographic catchments and attempts to identify the most suitable options to manage these risks.

Groundwater Study Of The Bullaring Townsite, S Ghauri

Resource management technical reports

A groundwater study was carried out in the townsite of Bullaring, Western Australia. This report describes the town and its catchment, the hydrogeological investigation characterising groundwater flow systems within the townsite, and recommends actions for managing salinity risk.

Natural Resource Management Issues In The Agricultural Zone Of Western Australia : South West Region, B Nicholas, Paul Galloway, Peter J. Tille, Angela Stuart-Street, Heather M. Percy

Resource management technical reports

Provides and analysis of current pressures on agricultural resources of the South West region of Western Australia. Differing ranges of risks are shown for different degradation issues because of various impacts. Each natural resource management issues covers nature and extent of susceptibility, impacts on agriculture and the environment, management options and effectiveness of management options.

Groundwater Study Of The Nyabing Townsite, Louise Hopgood

Resource management technical reports

A groundwater study was carried out in the townsite of Nyabing, Western Australia. The study presents a model of the hydrogeology below the town and defines management options to help limit damage to infrastructure from surface water and groundwater rise. A drilling program and expansion of the network of monitoring bores were also part of the study.

Land-Use And Vegetation In Western Australia : Project Daw27 : National Land And Water Resources Audit, G R. Beeston, A Jm Hopkins, D P. Shepherd

Resource management technical reports

This report details a project to compile detailed land-use data for Western Australia, on pre-European and present vegetation types, and aspects of disturbance of or threats to the present vegetation. Metadata on botanical surveys throughout the state were also compiled.

Phillips Brook Catchment Appraisal, Paul D. Galloway

Resource management technical reports

This report describes the soils, hydrology and natural vegetation of the Phillips Brook catchment near Toodyay, Western Australia and provides information on the threats to agriculture, infrastructure and natural resources from salinity, waterlogging, erosion and other land degradation processes.

Groundwater Study Of The Wandering Townsite, S Ghauri

Resource management technical reports

A groundwater study was carried out in the townsite of Wandering, Western Australia. This report describes the town and its catchment, the hydrogeological investigation characterising groundwater flow systems within the townsite, and recommends actions for managing salinity risk.

Groundwater Study Of The Trayning Townsite, Louise Hopgood

Resource management technical reports

A groundwater study was carried out in the townsite of Trayning, Western Australia. The study presents a model of the hydrogeology below the town and defines management options to help limit damage to infrastructure from surface water, shallow subsurface water and deep groundwater. A drilling program and expansion of the network of monitoring bores were also part of the study.