In Eyre Peninsular SA after long dry season talking desalination & looking at unconventional water sources. Seen several plastic sheeted catchments -2ha with 10 ML dams $100-200k built by #WaterSmart farmers @NikCallow
@trout_86@NikCallow I heard as low as $4-6/m but likely excluding installation and only 1mm. No measure of tyre degradation mentioned. UWA did some micro plastics on tarps, its there, but impacts inconclusive
Last day with farmers in Eyre Peninsula at Warrminda with @jtelferoz + 24 farmers talking water, salinity and WaterSmart farms. Impressive lined catchments being adopted to collect high quality and secure water despite availability of SAWater pipes nearby. Great group @NikCallow
Spent a few days measuring subsoil drains last few weeks, removing excess water from crops in GtSthn & SW, to understand opportunities for water management. Two examples running well after strong rains @NikCallow
Last @WaterSmartFarm projects 89m deep bore being tested at 150,000 litres per day near Kojonup. Over 50% rate of success for bores of similar depth and salinity - from Merredin to Manjimup.
@DPIRDWA Water science team testing 2nd last bedrock drill hole (20 drilled) from Merredin to Manjimup (this site) to find water for agriculture. Yields average over 80kL/d from depths to 100m, stock quality or ready to Desal as part of #WaterSmartFarms
Our 2nd largest reservoir after Lake Argyle, Wellington Dams water quality is now almost 1500mg/L, feeding hundreds of SW farms. After 50 years of testing revegetation is it time for tools like desalination?
@WaterSmart Farms project on desalination and new farm water supplies won a 2024 AWA Award. DPIRD led consortium engages with 3 WA Uni’s, 4 Agencies, GGA, 2 RDCs, and delivers with 63 participating farmers, 3 rural towns & Wongutha school. More to do, but getting results.
Hear case studies on desalination, dam water capture and management, confinement feeding, natural capital and join the Q&A south of Boyup Brook on Wednesday 23 October @GGA_WA #DroughtHub @HydroFire60 @FaceyGroup #FDF https://t.co/FLwHGdTFjc
@Iain78225333 V-notch weirs & data logging if the flow is variable but at higher flows ultrasonic flow meters ($). Mechanical ones need a head and hard in drains, especially when they get sediment issues. Buckets… simple
Recharge control of low production, wind-scalloped leaky wodjil sandplain is possible with targeted plantings. This one is a private carbon model that mitigates much of the farms emissions and along the way has seen an amazing regeneration of nature