Water Resource Management Commons^™

Comparative Assessment Of Crops To Use Potential Additional Water Resources In The Warren–Donnelly Catchments, James Dee, Ananda Ghose

Bulletins 4000 -

Through the Royalties for Regions funded Southern Forests Water Futures Project, the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia undertook a study to understand the economic benefits of developing new water resources in the Warren–Donnelly catchments in the south-west of Western Australia.

The Warren–Donnelly catchments have long been associated with intensive horticultural activities. The major perennial crops are pome fruit (apples and pears), avocados, stone fruit and wine grapes. The major annual crops are ware potatoes, seed potatoes, processing potatoes and brassica crops for the Perth Market over summer. There are emerging new industries including truffles, summer strawberry production, processing …

Review Of Land Capability Assessment For The Swan Valley, Peter Tille, Angela Stuart-Street

Resource management technical reports

Land capability review for the Swan Valley.

The land capability review of the Swan Valley examined and updated previous soil and capability studies done in the area, which are still considered highly relevant for the planning requirements of the Swan Valley. As a result we have updated information on the potential for irrigated agriculture in the Swan Valley which will guide decision-making in the future.

This review uses a modified version of a new approach to presenting information for land use planning, developed by DAFWA in the Mid West region.

The main findings of the review include:

• The alluvial terraces …

Management Options For Water-Repellent Soils In Australian Dryland Agriculture, M. M. Roper, S. L. Davies, P. S. Blackwell, D. J. M. Hall, D. Bakker, R. Jongepier, P. R. Ward

Natural Resources Research Articles

Water-repellent (‘non-wetting’) soils are a major constraint to agricultural production in southern and south-west Australia, affecting >10 Mha of arable sandy soils. The major symptom is dry patches of surface soil, even after substantial rainfall, directly affecting agricultural production through uneven crop and pasture germination, and reduced nutrient availability. In addition, staggered weed germination impedes effective weed control, and delayed crop and pasture germination increases the risk of wind erosion. Water repellency is caused by waxy organic compounds derived from the breakdown of organic matter mostly of plant origin. It is more prevalent in soils with a sandy surface texture; …

Groundwater Chemistry Of The Weaber Plain (Goomig Farmlands): Baseline Results 2010–13, Adam Lillicrap, Richard J. George Dr, Arjen Ryder, D L. Bennett

Resource management technical reports

The Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) is located in the north-east of the Kimberley region of Western Australia, near the town of Kununurra. The irrigation area was established in 1963 and over time developed to the current extent of 14 000 hectares (ha). The Weaber Plain (Goomig Farmlands) area is located north-north-east of the existing irrigation area, 30km from Kununurra, and has been identified as being suitable for irrigated agriculture for many decades. However, it was not until 2009, with state government support, that the 7400ha project commenced, with construction starting in 2010. State and Australian government environmental approvals required …

Water Balance Of Flooded Rice In The Tropics, Siva Sivapalan

Books & book chapters

Department of Agriculture and Food, WA staff member authored "Water Balance of Flooded Rice in the Tropics" in the publication Irrigation and Drainage - Sustainable Strategies and Systems’, edited by Muhammad Salik Javaid, published by INTECH, May 2015

Chapter Summary: Excess groundwater recharge rates under irrigated agriculture may lead to problems such as rising watertable, waterlogging and salinity. In irrigated areas, growers may need to manage this water and hence, understanding what leakage is attributed to what crops will become more important. In this study, evaporation, transpiration, and deep percolation losses were estimated for ponded rice culture, using a …

Cockatoo Sands In The Victoria Highway And Carlton Hill Areas, East Kimberley: Land Capability Assessment For Developing Irrigated Agriculture, Henry Smolinski, Shahab Pathan, Paul Galloway, Kus Kuswardiyanto, Justin Laycock

Resource management technical reports

This report identifies areas of Cockatoo Sands adjacent to the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA), Kununurra, with high potential for developing irrigated agriculture. It builds on a reconnaissance soil survey conducted in 2009 which identified significant areas of sandy and loamy soils in the Kununurra area that could be suitable for agriculture.

Cockatoo Sands In The Victoria Highway And Carlton Hill Areas, East Kimberley: Baseline Surface Water Quality, Don Bennett, Luke Donovan, Duncan Palmer

Resource management technical reports

Cockatoo Sands are recognised as potentially suitable for irrigated agriculture because they are generally well drained and not subject to waterlogging and inundation. These characteristics allow them to be cultivated and prepared for planting of various crops during the wet and dry seasons of northern Australia.

Groundwater Trend Analysis And Salinity Risk Assessment For The South-West Agricultural Region Of Western Australia, 2007–12, G Paul Raper, Russell Speed, John Andrew Simons, A L. Killen, Andrew Blake, A T. Ryder, Rosemary H. Smith, Grantley Stainer, L Bourke

Resource management technical reports

Dryland salinity is a hydrologically driven land degradation hazard in the south-west agricultural region of Western Australia (WA). Shallow-rooted annual crops and pastures transpire significantly less water than the native vegetation they replaced, leading to an increase in recharge, rising groundwater levels and the development of shallow watertables in areas where often none existed previously. Rising groundwater levels mobilise soluble salts, naturally stored at high concentrations in the regolith. These salts can be concentrated in the root zone of vegetation by evapotranspiration.

Goomig Farmlands Development Baseline Water Quality In The Lower Keep River, D L. Bennett, Richard J. George Dr

Resource management technical reports

In 2008 the Ord Irrigation Expansion Project was approved by the Western Australian Government to develop irrigated agriculture on the Weaber Plain. By mid-2014 construction of almost all of the water supply, drainage, access, monitoring and other infrastructure for the 7400ha Goomig Farmlands development had substantially been completed. An important concern is the effect the Goomig Farmlands development may have on the water quality of the downstream lower Keep River aquatic environment, particularly as it relates to threatened species that inhabit or may inhabit the area. Possible increases in salinity, nutrients, suspended sediment, heavy metals and farm chemicals delivered in …

The Agronomy Jigsaw: Finding The Pieces That Maximise Water Use Efficiency, David Hall, Paul Galloway, Jeremy Lemon, Ben Curtis, Andrew Van Burgel, Kelly Kong, Nigel Metz,

Bulletins 4000 -

The Agronomy Jigsaw project is an initiative of the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) in collaboration with the South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA) and Precision Agronomics Australia (PAA). The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) funded the project under the water use efficiency initiative (DAW193).

Improving water use efficiency (WUE) is the key to increasing crop production in dryland agriculture. In southern Western Australia (WA), water use efficiencies of wheat can vary from 8 to 22kg/mm/ha. The purpose of the Agronomy Jigsaw project is to understand this variation at paddock level: What are the main …

Salinity Risk Mapping For Assessing Carbon Farming Initiative Proposals: Decision Support And Data Requirements, Paul Raper, Peter Gardiner

Resource management technical reports

The Clean Energy Legislation passed by the Australian Parliament on 8 November 2011 links the carbon price to the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI). Under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 (the Act), proponents need to consider regional natural resource management (NRM) plans to ensure that tree plantings for carbon bio-sequestration maximise environmental benefits and avoid unintended adverse effects on biodiversity, water and agricultural production systems.

A Review Of The Broome Sandstone Aquifer In The La Grange Area, Robert J. Paul, Richard J. George Dr, Peter Gardiner

Resource management technical reports

Land use in the West Kimberley near Broome, Western Australia, is dominated by cattle grazing on pastoral stations, dispersed mining activity and tourism. Irrigated agriculture has developed but is at a small scale. There is interest from pastoralists and horticultural companies to expand irrigated agriculture, and pastoral diversification and mosaic irrigation systems have been proposed. However, if irrigated agriculture is to expand, it must be viable and meet community and regulatory requirements. Developing secure and sustainable water resources is critical

This review is focussed on the La Grange groundwater subareas (La Grange area). Its purpose is to summarise the existing …

Carbon Farming In Wa, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Department Of Regional Development And Lands, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

Fact sheets:

1. Applying biochar to improve soil quality and crop productivity

2. Reducing methane emissions from cattle using feed additives

3. Cattle breeding for lower greenhouse gas emissions

4. Managing genetic codes to reduce methane emissions from cattle

5. Managing pastures and stocking rate to reduce methane emissions from cattle

6. Claying as a method of increasing soil carbon content

7. Green and brown manuring as part of carbon farming

8. Permanent environmental plantings to earn carbon credits

9. Nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils

10. Sheep genetics in methane reduction

11. Managing sheep pastures to reduce methane production …

Observations Of Localised Effects Of The Busselton Compensating Basins On Surface Water, Groundwater And Soil Salinity, D L. Bennett, Richard J. George Dr

Resource management technical reports

Between 2001 and 2009 the Water Corporation constructed three flood-compensating basins on farmland in the Vasse and Sabina river catchments, upstream of in the city of Busselton. The basins are designed to reduce the risk of flooding in urban areas of Busselton by temporarily storing and then regulating runoff during flood events. This report fulfils the reporting requirements of a contract between the Water Corporation and the Department of Agriculture and Food. Data relating to the local groundwater and surface-water dynamics, salinity, nutrients and pH, plus changes to shallow and deep-soil salinity (from repeat ground-based electromagnetic induction [EM] surveying), was …

A Report On The Gascoyne River Catchment Following The 2010/11 Flood Events, Peter-Jon A. Waddell, P W.E Thomas, Paul A. Findlater

Resource management technical reports

In December 2010 an extreme tropical storm resulted in widespread flooding at Carnarvon and across the catchment. Another two flood events followed during the summer of 2010–11

The rationale for this assessment is to provide illustrative evidence on the role that perennial vegetation groundcover management has in influencing the risk of flooding and soil loss in the catchment. It may be possible that the impact of flooding associated with extreme storm events can be reduced. This report focuses on catchment condition and is not a review of the pastoral industry’s economic viability.

Changes In Run-Off And Groundwater Under Saltbush Grazing Systems: Preliminary Results Of A Paired Catchment Study, D L. Bennett, Richard J. George Dr, Richard Silberstein

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Agriculture Futures: Potential Rural Land Uses On The Palusplain, Rodney Safstrom, Nicolyn Short Dr

Resource management technical reports

The purpose of this project was to identify agricultural land use options and opportunities within the Serpentine–Jarrahdale and Murray Shires, with particular focus on the Palusplain wetland section. The report will contribute to the Department of Planning’s natural resource management plan for the region and guide development of regional and local planning strategies. Historically, the Palusplain was a slowly moving, interconnected, seasonal wetland system with areas of higher ground. Extensive clearing and drainage occurred in the late 1800s through to the mid-1900s to facilitate agriculture; however, agriculture has been found to be a major contributor of nutrients to the system. …

Surface Water Characteristics Of The Weaber Plain And Lower Keep River Catchments: Data Review And Preliminary Results, D L. Bennett, Richard J. George Dr

Resource management technical reports

In 2008, the Ord Irrigation Expansion Project was approved by the Western Australian Government to develop irrigated agriculture on the Weaber Plain.

An important concern is the effect the Weaber Plain agricultural development may have on the water quality of the downstream Border Creek and Keep River

This report assembles and reviews all available physico-chemical water quality data for the lower Keep River and Border Creek systems and presents data from the initial year of a targeted baseline monitoring program (June 2010 – June 2013).

Groundwater Chemistry Of The Weaber Plain: Preliminary Results, Adam Lillicrap, Paul Raper, Richard J. George Dr, D L. Bennett

Resource management technical reports

In 2008, the Ord Irrigation Expansion Project was approved by the Western Australian Government to develop irrigated agriculture on the Weaber Plain. Construction of the M2 supply channel connecting the ORIA and the Weaber Plain, and the final period of irrigation design, environmental management and related approval processes, commenced later in 2009. This process followed a protracted period of public and private industry planning and environmental assessment (Kinhill 2000). This report summarises an analysis of groundwater salinity trends on the Ivanhoe and Weaber plains and the preliminary results of an intensive water-quality sampling program carried out in 2010 as part …

Soil Assessment Of The Weaber Plain (Goomig) Farmlands, Henry Smolinski, Justin Laycock, Jim Dixon

Resource management technical reports

In 2008, the Ord Irrigation Expansion Project was approved by the Western Australian Government to develop irrigated agriculture on the Weaber Plain (Goomig)

As part of the environmental planning and approvals process, the WA Government was required to prepare a groundwater management plan and a hydrodynamic plan.

As a result, the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) was requested to lead an investigative program to support a second phase of modelling. The project was divided into five components: two addressing deficiencies related to groundwater, two relating to soils and subsoils, and one addressing surface and groundwater quality aspects. …

Designing A Soil Ph Monitoring Network For The Western Australian Wheatbelt, Karen Holmes, Pat Bellamy, Jim Dixon

Resource management technical reports

Natural resource managers in Western Australia require a purposely designed soil pH monitoring network to identify areas at higher risk of soil acidification and to observe changes in soil pH through time. This monitoring network, in conjunction with field experimental work and acidification modelling, will identify state and regional trends and help shape state natural resource management policy and regional extension programmes, as well as directly inform industry and land managers.

Weaber Plain Hydrogeology: Preliminary Results, Richard J. George Dr, John Andrew Simons, Paul Raper, Robert J. Paul, D L. Bennett, Rosemary H. Smith

Resource management technical reports

In 2008, the Ord Irrigation Expansion Project was approved by the Western Australian Government to develop irrigated agriculture on the Weaber Plain. Construction of the M2 supply channel connecting the ORIA and Weaber Plain, and the final period of irrigation design, environmental management and related approval processes commenced later in 2009. This process followed a protracted period of public and private industry planning and environmental assessment (Kinhill 2000). As a part of the environmental planning and approvals process, the WA Government was required to prepare a groundwater management plan and a hydrodynamic plan. These plans were to address potential issues …

Weaber Plain Aquifer Test Results, Robert Paul, Paul Raper, John Andrew Simons, Grantley Stainer, Richard J. George

Resource management technical reports

As a part of the environmental planning and approvals process, the state government was required to prepare Groundwater Management and Hydrodynamic Plans. These plans are to address potential issues of salinity and water quality that could result from the development of irrigated agriculture on the Weaber Plain. The Weaber Plain groundwater modelling report (KBR 2010a) identified several options to manage watertables and salinity

Production bores 10WP35PB and 10WP36PB were drilled in the palaeochannel on sites selected from the interpretation of airborne geophysics.

Hydrological Impacts Of Integrated Oil Mallee Farming Systems, D L. Bennett, John Andrew Simons, Russell Speed

Resource management technical reports

This study reports on the results from investigations at four sites into the effect of commercial-scale oil mallee systems on localised groundwater systems over seven years. It also reports the results of the use of a numerical model to forecast potential longer term impacts.

Wheat Yield Potential And Land Management Constraints In The South West Of Western Australia, Dennis Van Gool

Resource management technical reports

This report provides the underpinning information to help improve the long term profitability of wheat cropping. It documents the realistic potential yield of the 18 million hectares of agricultural land in the South West of Western Australia and the gap between this potential and the actual yields, based on shire averages. This report also summarises major land management constraints that limit the yield potential. This information can be used to aid strategic planning at different levels, for example state, shire and, with care, as a starting point for farm planning.

Mapping Acid Groundwater In Western Australia’S Wheatbelt, Karen Holmes, Adam Lillicrap

Resource management technical reports

The extent of the area affected by deep drains in Western Australia (more than 11 000 km of drains installed as of 2002: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002) and their continuing installation by land managers make understanding the distribution of naturally occurring acid groundwater a priority for land managers working toward sustainable agricultural production in the wheatbelt. This report describes development of a map of the likelihood of acid groundwater occurrence. It is meant to guide state agencies, natural resource management groups, landholders, and community stakeholders on where acid groundwater may occur.

Cockatoo Sands Soil Survey : Assessment Of The Potential Irrigation Areas, Kununurra Area, East Kimberley, Henry Smolinski, Kus Kuswardiyanto, Justin Laycock

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Water Erosion Hazard Assessment Of The Lort And Young Rivers Catchment, Karen Holmes, John Andrew Simons, B Marillier, N Callow, Paul Galloway

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Community Consultation To Set Resource Condition Targets For Dryland Salinity, Rebecca Heath, Susan Murphy-White, Jamie Bowyer

Resource management technical reports

No abstract provided.

Aquatic Fauna - Biological Survey Ten Mile Brook Dam Margaret River - Fisheries Research Contract Report No. 22, 2010, Craig Lawrence, C Hugh, Renae Larsen, J Ledger, Phil Vercoe

Fisheries Research Contract Reports

Ten Mile Brook Dam has a surface area of 275 Ha and receives water from a 10 km2 catchment (Figure 1). It has a total storage capacity of 1,691 ML. At the time of this study the dam was 89 % capacity (1,511 ML), however as recently as June 2009 water storage was as low as 663 ML (39 % capacity).

In order to improve the drinking water supply to the town of Margaret River, the Water Corporation is investigating the option of pumping bore water into Ten Mile Brook Dam. This would remove the need to transfer water from …