Dealing with salinity in Wheatbelt Valleys - Department of Water

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Morrell, Hatton and Curry proportion of the recharge, particularly on coarse textured soils. • Before clearing, most groundwater discharge occurred by evaporation and transpiration from the playa zones, and this is probably still the case although the volume of water discharged through the vegetation has decreased. Groundwater discharge is also occurring in alluvial flats surrounding the lakes, through stringer sand deposits close to the lakes and through valley floors further away from the lakes, which have geological structures controlling discharge. • Groundwater gradients are low and thus the impact of land treatment will be local rather than regional. For a regional impact the whole area must be appropriately managed. • The vegetation in the lower areas of the Chinocup Reserve will, in time, be affected by the rising saline groundwater. • Farm plans need to include a significant area of revegetation if the hydrological imbalance is to be addressed. The principal landcare issues in the Lake Chinocup Catchment are: • Declining condition of remnant vegetation • Inefficient water use • Poor drainage/ waterlogging • Rising groundwater levels • Flooding • Salinity • Inappropriate land management systems • Wind and water erosion • Soil structure/nutrient/biota decline • Soil acidity • Habitat loss, modification or fragmentation • Loss of productivity LANDCARE IN THE LAKE CHINOCUP CATCHMENT The Nyabing-Pingrup LCDC was formed in 1989 and is made up of 14 sub-catchments; six of which make up the Lake Chinocup Catchment. Within the Lake – 4 – Chinocup Catchment there were two Focus Catchments: Range Road and Minelup Creek. A landcare coordinator was first employed in the Shire in 1995. He filled the position from 1995 to mid-1998. The second coordinator took over the role in September 1998. Our current coordinator began in October 2000. The Community Landcare Coordinator works with the community to help achieve sustainable farming systems and keep agriculture viable in the long term through maintaining and improving the sustainable productive capacity of the land and halting/preventing land degradation. As well as developing sustainable farming systems, emphasis is placed on protecting remnant vegetation and enhancing biodiversity. Much activity is financed by individual farmers as well as work done in catchment groups and externally funded works. Landcare related activities in the Lake Chinocup Catchment include: • Revegetation. • Best Practice agricultural production methods. • Protection and management of remnant vegetation and revegetated areas. • High water using crops and pastures. • Implementing, monitoring and revising the Lake Chinocup Catchment Plan. • Funding. • Monitoring. • Establishment of baseline values for all key indicators. BASELINE DATA ESTABLISHED IN JANUARY 1977 (54 farmers responded to the survey) • Revegetation and Remnants – 306,540 trees were planted on 54 properties – 80% success rate – 30% of farmers planted for beautification – 30% planted for wind erosion – 30% for water table reductions – 15% for water erosion – 30% for shelter belts – 10% for wildlife corridors – Most farmers planted for several different reasons
– 3,477 ha of remnant vegetation or 33% on farms is fenced • Salt Affected Land – 3,069 ha which once grew cereal crops can no longer grow them. Morrell, Hatton and Curry – Most farmers planted for more than one reason. – 150 ha of direct drilling native vegetation was planted. – 951 ha of remnant vegetation was fenced giving a total of 4,428 ha. • Alternate Crops • Salt Affected Land – 50% of farmers grew lupins. – A further 812 ha became too salt affected to – 20% grew lucerne. grow crops, giving a total of 3881 ha. – 4% grew tagasaste. – 20% grew a pulse crop. • Alternate Crops – 2% grew oil mallees. – 79% of farmers grew lupins. • Treatments Applied to Land – 28% grew lucerne. – 8% grew sorghum. – 4183 ha of land was treated with gypsum. – 23% tagasaste. – 150 ha with lime. – 38% pulses – 1,588 ha with dolomite. – 56% grew canola. • Piezometers and Observation Wells – 26% grew oil mallees. – 82 bore holes in place. • Treatments Applied to Land – No formal readings done until this survey. – 26% of respondents used lime. • Cropping and General – 46% used gypsum. – 13% used dolomite. – 48% of arable land was cropped in 1996. – 8.6% of farmland was fenced to the contour. • Piezometers and Observation Wells – 10 farmers were successful in gaining a – 98 bore holes are in place. landcare grant. – Readings are taken three times per year, with – 27 farmers had formal farm plans. the results recorded at the Landcare Centre. – 3% of crop done conventionally. – 41% minimum till. • Cropping and General – 28% direct drill. – 56% of arable land was cropped. – 28% no till. – 18% of farmland was fenced to the contour. • Surface Water Control Infrastructure – 64% of respondents have successfully applied for landcare grants, or 25 farmers. – 3% of crop is done conventionally. – 333 km contour banks. – 50% use minimum till. – 136 km level banks. – 25% use direct drill. – 273 km deep drains. – 40% use no till. – 25 km w drains. – 9 km other. • Surface Water Control Infrastructure KEY RESULTS FROM SURVEY HELD IN 1999 – 360 km contour banks, giving a total of 690 (39 out of 76 farmers responded) km. – 112 km of level banks, giving a total of 248 km. • Revegetation and Remnants – 53 km of deep drainage, giving a total of 320 km. – 353,660 trees were planted, giving a total of 660,200 since 1994. – 24 km of w drains, giving a total of 49 km. – 75% success rate. – 40% planted for beautification. COMMUNITY VIABILITY AND HEALTH – 50% for wind erosion. The community of Pingrup has suffered greatly due – 55% for water table reduction. to conditions beyond their control. In 1998, two – 40% for water erosion. severe frosts occurred, reducing potentially record – 50% for shelter belts. crops by approximately 60%. In 1999, a previously – 40% for wildlife corridors. unheard of occurrence hit the community again. – 5 –
Page 1 and 2:
Foreword Dealing with Salinity in W
Page 3 and 4:
1Day one: Monday 30th July. Field t
Page 5 and 6:
Papers Dealing with Salinity in Whe
Page 7 and 8:
Ali and Coles biggest challenges fa
Page 9 and 10:
Ali and Coles erosion, maintenance
Page 11 and 12:
Ali and Coles expected under these
Page 13 and 14:
Ali and Coles Coles, N.A. & Ali, M.
Page 15 and 16:
Commander, Schoknecht, Verboom and
Page 17 and 18:
Page 19 and 20:
Page 21 and 22:
Page 23 and 24:
Page 25 and 26:
Page 27 and 28:
Page 29 and 30:
Page 31 and 32:
Page 33 and 34:
Page 35 and 36:
Page 37 and 38:
Page 39 and 40:
Page 41 and 42:
APPRECIATING AND CREATING OUR HISTO
Page 43 and 44:
services. The Government responded
Page 45 and 46:
WHEATBELT VALLEYS IN DIFFICULTIES T
Page 47 and 48:
argue that they were really abnorma
Page 49 and 50:
1990s, the wheatbelt valleys in par
Page 51 and 52:
REFERENCES Agstats (1997). Agricult
Page 53 and 54:
George and Coleman two to four fold
Page 55 and 56:
George and Coleman surface, the vas
Page 57 and 58: George and Coleman for example in t
Page 59 and 60: George and Coleman current trends c
Page 61 and 62: George and Coleman While not as div
Page 63 and 64: George and Coleman SPECIES Table 5:
Page 65 and 66: George and Coleman advantages of so
Page 67 and 68: George and Coleman this volume). In
Page 69 and 70: George and Coleman Venture Economy
Page 71 and 72: George and Coleman Lawrence, C. (19
Page 73 and 74: Hatton and Ruprecht WATCHING THE RI
Page 75 and 76: Since the mid 1970s annual rainfall
Page 77 and 78: Effect of clearing on runoff The ot
Page 79 and 80: Salinity Monthly streamflow (ML) 10
Page 81 and 82: The ratio of the salt outputs to in
Page 83 and 84: - 11 - Hatton and Ruprecht Table 4:
Page 85 and 86: THE FUTURE In looking at the future
Page 87 and 88: McFarlane, D.J., George, R.J. & Far
Page 89 and 90: Keighery, Halse and McKenzie Terres
Page 91 and 92: Keighery, Halse and McKenzie Wetlan
Page 93 and 94: Keighery, Halse and McKenzie specie
Page 95 and 96: Keighery, Halse and McKenzie enviro
Page 97 and 98: Lloyd number of legal cases pending
Page 99 and 100: Lloyd 0 -500 -1000 -1500 -2000 -250
Page 101 and 102: Lloyd Table 3. Sheep grazing days i
Page 103 and 104: Lloyd Hectares project to provide w
Page 105 and 106: INTRODUCTION The Lake Chinocup Catc
Page 107: agriculture) in various stages, the
Page 111 and 112: Scientists talk of up to 30% of the
Page 113 and 114: 6320000 6300000 6280000 6260000 624
Page 115 and 116: Although the waterlogged area under
Page 117 and 118: eliminates drainage through the nex
Page 119 and 120: REFERENCES Dawes, W.R., Stauffacher
Page 121 and 122: Pannell ECONOMICS, SOCIETY AND ENVI
Page 123 and 124: Pannell • the area of land protec
Page 125 and 126: Pannell Proposals to construct majo
Page 127 and 128: Pannell been conducted for the Cent
Page 129 and 130: Pannell investments in long-term la
Page 131 and 132: Pannell Pannell, D.J. (2001). Dryla
Page 133 and 134: Porter, Bartle and Cooper Table 1:
Page 139 and 140: Porter, Bartle and Cooper operation
Page 141 and 142: Porter, Bartle and Cooper Increase
Page 145 and 146: Porter, Bartle and Cooper support i
Page 147 and 148: Porter, Bartle and Cooper that is a
Page 149 and 150: CASE STUDY - TOOLIBIN LAKE AND CATC
Page 151 and 152: • The distribution, storage and m
Page 153 and 154: Secondly, there is a set of practic
Page 155 and 156: within three categories: relationsh
Page 157 and 158: CONCLUSIONS Actions to protect and
Page 159 and 160:
FIELD TOUR LOCATIONS FIELD TOUR NOT
Page 161 and 162:
COLES FARM “Avon River Basin Over
Page 163 and 164:
Conference Outcomes Dealing with Sa
Page 165 and 166:
with Salinity in Wheatbelt Valleys:
Page 167 and 168:
with Salinity in Wheatbelt Valleys
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183 and 184:
Page 185 and 186:
Page 187 and 188:
Page 189 and 190:
Page 191 and 192:
Page 193 and 194:
Page 195 and 196:
Page 197 and 198:
Photo Gallery 2 Dealing with Salini
Page 199 and 200:
APPENDIX 1 BACKGROUND HYDROLOGY AND
Page 201 and 202:
WHEATBELT HYDROLOGY Flow in the Yil
Page 203 and 204:
Flow (ML) STREAM SALINITY Salt Rive
Page 205 and 206:
APPENDIX 2 WATER MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
Page 207 and 208:
APPENDIX 3 MANAGING WATER AND SALIN
Page 209 and 210:
SUMMARY- TIMELINE OF RECENT SIGNIFI
Page 211 and 212:
RECENT HISTORY OF WATER AND SALINIT
Page 213 and 214:
Figure 1. Hydrological cross-sectio
Page 215:
Depth (m) 316 315 314 313 312 311 M
Page 218 and 219:
FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS AND MANAGEME
Page 220 and 221:
Page 222 and 223:
show all

Dealing with salinity in Wheatbelt Valleys - Department of Water

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?