Water, Land and People - Goulburn Broken Catchment ...

that quantifies the seasonal water balance
under dairy farm border-check and
sprinkler irrigation systems for a range of
soil and watertable conditions across the
SIR. Economic data quantifying the energy
requirements of sprinkler irrigation systems
are also included.
These information and support products were
developed from existing data sources and an
extensive experimental and modelling program. A
lysimeter experiment (see picture), measuring the
seasonal water balance and pasture production
on different regional soil types under bordercheck
irrigation, was supplemented by farm-based
measurement of border-check and sprinkler system
seasonal pasture production and water balances (see
picture). Numerical and economic modelling was
used for the seasonal data to prepare information
required to make decisions about irrigation system
infrastructure investment at a farm and catchment
scale.
Top Picture: Lysimeter experiment
Bottom Picture: Field measurement site
Results, Implications and Benefits
The “Guidelines for Irrigation System Selection
and Design” has been packaged as a web-based
information system and CD. The guidelines aim to
guide farmers (and those advising them) through a
complex decision-making process in a logical manner
and consequently enable them to make sound
investments into farm irrigation infrastructure. We
completed testing the prototype and it is available
for general access.
Farmers, designers and irrigation advisers are the
target audiences for the Information Booklet and
the Guidelines for Irrigation System Selection and
Design. Irrigation designers are the target audience
for the Decision Support System for Irrigation
System Design. Catchment planners are the
target audience for information that quantifies the
economic and water balance impacts of the broad
scale use of sprinkler irrigation systems.
An extension specialist led the development of
these products, which involved consultation with
dairy farmers, irrigation advisers and designers and
catchment planners. A series of workshops finalised
the design of the products.
A study has been completed quantifying the impacts
on energy use and greenhouse gasses resulting from
uptake of centre pivot irrigation. This work involved
comparing total energy use during manufacture,
installation and operation of a border-check and
centre pivot irrigation system. The centre pivot
irrigation system has a 5.5 times greater total life
cycle energy requirement than a border-check
system. A centre pivot requires three times greater
construction and installation energy requirements
and 22 times greater energy requirements to
operate the system, compared to border-check
system. This means that converting from bordercheck
to centre pivot irrigation would increase
greenhouse gas emissions by 2-3 tonnes of carbon
dioxide per hectare per year.
Spatial Market Segmentation and Healthy
Landscapes Framework Project
The Project Leaders, Andrew McAllister and Chris
Linehan and Research Staff, Elizabeth Morse-
McNabb and Ben Rowbottom worked with G-MW,
DPI CAS, and DPI PIRVic on this project. Funding
PROGRAM REPORTS
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