2 Renmark to border LAP area assessment - EPA - Sa.gov.au

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River Murray and Lower Lakes catchment risk assessment for water quality: Results and management options 4 Riverland West LAP area assessment 4.1 Description of the area The Riverland West Local Action Planning (RW LAP) area extends from Lock 1 near Blanchetown to Lock 3 near Overland Corner (Figure 4.1). It spans 184 km of the River Murray and encompasses a total of 13,370 ha of adjacent floodplains. The area contains 11,700 ha of irrigated horticultural land, mainly vines (37%) and citrus (20%) (RW LAP 1999). Away from the river are extensive areas of dryland farming, cattle grazing and pristine mallee country. The main townships in this area are Waikerie, Cadell and Morgan. Land and groundwater salinisation is a major problem in the area, largely the legacy of historical vegetation clearance in the regional catchment. The problem has been exacerbated in some locations by irrigation creating a ‘groundwater mound’ and increasing saline groundwater flows. It is also anticipated that large quantities of salt currently trapped in floodplain sediment would enter the river with future flooding (CSIRO 2003). Salt interception schemes at Woolpunda and Waikerie currently prevent about 350 tonnes of salt per day from entering the River Murray. Further schemes are planned to address increasing salinity problems in the area caused by irrigation drainage (SA Water 2004). The RW LAP group’s environmental improvement projects (RW LAP 1999) include: • 10 wetland rehabilitation projects, eg Sinclair and Murbko lagoons, Morgan lagoons, Brenda Park- Scotts Creek wetlands, Akuna Station, Maize Island • helping growers reduce drainage and salt problems, and improve irrigation practices, within a land and water management planning framework • revegetation projects totalling 100 ha, including the successful Taylorville North–Lock 2 Rehabilitation Project • stormwater and effluent treatment projects in conjunction with local councils. Water quality within the Riverland West area is generally fair compared to the rest of the River Murray (EPA 2001a). SA Water monitoring stations at Lock 3, Waikerie, Woolpunda and Morgan measure a variety of water quality parameters, and DWLBC’s ‘run of the river’ studies provide high-resolution data on salt inputs. Salinity levels increase from Lock 3 to Morgan (EPA 2001a) where, nevertheless, salinity is about 25% less than it would be if the salt interception schemes were not in operation (SA Water 2004). In this project’s framework, saline groundwater inputs were quite difficult to define as a precise hazard location, as they diffuse into the river to varying degrees along its whole length. Specific salinity risks that could be attributed to defined source location (eg large horticultural areas, saline creek/drainage discharges) are included in this report. Nutrient levels do not change significantly within this area (EPA 2001a) but blue-green algae (Anabaena circinalis) levels are often elevated (SA Water unpublished data) in the region. No trends in heavy metal levels between the monitoring stations are obvious within the area and pesticide levels were generally at or below detection levels. Turbidity levels, which are high from where the river enters South Australia to the mouth, are significantly influenced by contributions from the Darling River (which has a high clay colloid level) and flood events (MDBC 1988). 84
River Murray and Lower Lakes catchment risk assessment for water quality: Results and management options Figure 4.1 Map of the Riverland West LAP area 85
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E N V I R O N M E N T P R O T E C T
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The River Murray and Lower Lakes ca
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6 Mannum to Wellington LAP area ass
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Table 6.5 Frequency of risk to recr
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Figure 7.2 Example of hazard to wat
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Roz Becker, Riverland Tourism Assoc
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Abbreviations 10 ADWG Australian Dr
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Executive Summary The River Murray
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River Murray and Lower Lakes catchm
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Current and potential future option
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