ountry News Co
Water Talk Reaching Australia ’s richest agricultural region
E 12-PAUG RE FEAguTst 2015 Au
— page 9
Bore limits released for this season — page 2 | Project delivers higher flows — page 3 | Basin plan debate — page 4
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PAGE 2—‘Water Talk’, August, 2015
water talk
Water certainty roundwater irrigators in Echuca, G Rochester and surrounds have been given greater clarity for the season
IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGY UPDATE Southern Growers presents a field day focusing on the latest technology in Soil Moisture Monitoring, Surface and Spray Irrigation Technology, and Automation of irrigation for your farm business, with trade displays from industry suppliers. Thursday 13 August 2015, 10 am till 3 pm Finley Showgrounds Indoor Sports Centre Pavilion, Tongs Street Free Entry & Lunch Presentations at 12 pm from local growers and industry experts on how to utilise the latest technology on-farm. For more information contact Stephanie Chappell, Executive Officer, 0417 444 750 or southerngrowersinc@gmail.com
Survey
Irrigation
Farm drainage problems? Are you struggling to get machinery across parts of your farm? Sick of getting bogged in the same area each harvest? Are water logged areas costing you money? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the professional team at Onleys are ready to help design > Irrigation survey & design
Easier applications andholders and bore L drillers can now apply online for a water bore
licence through a new service on the Victorian Water Register. DELWP and rural water corporations have developed this initiative, which will make it easier, faster and cheaper to apply for licences to build water bores for domestic and stock use, investigation and observation. DELWP licensing, groundwater and unregulated systems manager Patrick O’Halloran said the innovation was designed to cut red tape and costs. ‘‘This provides a better web-based service for landholders, rural water
corporation customers and people working in drilling and hydro-geological and environmental consultancies,’’ Mr O’Halloran said. ‘‘Each year around 1250 licences are issued in the Victorian Water Register to build groundwater bores for stock and domestic, observation and investigation, as well as about 1000 licences to decommission bores. ‘‘Victoria has around 80 000 domestic and stock and 2500 observation water bores. ‘‘Some bores are used to monitor groundwater, others to understand what’s going on with groundwater on building sites and developments,
and to investigate water levels.’’ Applications will be automatically processed and in most cases licences will be issued on the spot. Fees for one online application will be around 50 per cent less than for a paper application. The new service is integrated with mapping technology to make it easy to locate the property where a bore is to be drilled. Rural water corporations worked with DELWP’s Water Register team to build the new service. ➤ The new online application service is available at mywater.water register.vic.gov.au
Katunga gets maximum
Design
> Dryland survey & drainage
ahead with a 100 per cent allocation for the 2015-16 season. The allocation to irrigation licence holders in the Lower Campaspe Valley Water Supply Protection Area applies to the Barnadown, Elmore-Rochester, Bamawm and Echuca management zones. Goulburn-Murray Water’s groundwater and streams manager Simon Cowan said the announcement gave licence holders increased certainty. ‘‘G-MW advised customers in January of the likelihood of 100 per cent allocation based on the groundwater recovery levels recorded last year, giving them plenty of
time to plan for the season ahead,’’ Mr Cowan said. The Lower Campaspe Valley Water Supply Protection Area has more than 130 licensed groundwater customers and extends from Lake Eppalock in the south to the Murray River in the north and incorporates the towns of Axedale, Goornong, Elmore, Lockington, Rochester and Echuca. The allocations have been determined in accordance with the Lower Campaspe Valley Water Supply Protection Area Groundwater Management Plan. ➤ For more information or for a copy of the management plan, go to www.gmwater.com.au or phone Brendan Cossens on 5475 3907.
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‘We are your complete land development professionals’ SHEPPARTON 5 Telford Drive, Shepparton Phone: (03) 5821 7171 Email: mail@onleys.com.au www.onleys.com.au SURVEY DESIGN IRRIGATION SURVEY DESIGN IRRIGATION SURVEY DESIGN IRRIG
roundwater licence holders in the G Katunga Water Supply Protection Area will receive 70 per cent annual
allocation of groundwater entitlement for 2015-16. The Katunga WSPA extends from Yarrawonga to Barmah and includes the towns of Strathmerton, Cobram, Numurkah and Nathalia. Goulburn-Murray Water groundwater and streams manager Simon Cowan said 70 per cent was the maximum allocation that could be made under the current groundwater management plan. ‘‘The plan places conditions on licensed use of all groundwater taken from depths greater than 25 m in the Katunga WSPA,’’ Mr Cowan said. ‘‘The annual allocation is based on average groundwater use over five years. The 2015-16 allocation is same as last year’s and
the maximum possible under the plan.’’ Mr Cowan reminded groundwater licence holders that if they intended to use more groundwater than their allocation they needed to temporarily or permanently transfer entitlement beforehand. Amendments to the Katunga WSPA Groundwater Management Plan will soon be considered by a consultative committee. The proposed changes aim to update some rules (for example, allowing more flexible trading) and make the plan simpler to understand. The committee — made up of groundwater users, landholders and agency representatives — will be appointed by the Victorian Government shortly, with the amended plan expected to be ready for implementation in mid to late 2016. ➤ For more information, phone Karina Joy on 1800 013 357.
Erosion control at Cohuna has started on Work erosion control of a
section of the Gunbower Creek in Cohuna. Gannawarra Shire Council, in partnership with Mawsons Concrete and Quarries which has donated the raw materials, will focus on the creek bank between the Cohuna Town Bridge and the weir, which has deteriorated and
is in need of remedial works to prevent further erosion. About 240 m of creek bank will be reinforced with compacted clay and rock and a halogen light that illuminates the fountain will be temporarily removed and replaced with a new energy-efficient LED light. Works are expected to
be completed by August 7. Mayor Neville Goulding said the car park near the Gateway to Gannawarra Centre would be partially closed but residents would still be able to access the Garden Park walking path. ‘‘Works such as this are required periodically to ensure creek banks are strong enough to withhold current and future water flows,’’ Cr Goulding said.
‘Water Talk’, August, 2015—PAGE 3
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Last meeting about plan he last meeting in a round of T consultations on Goulburn-Murray Water’s water plan will be held at
Kyabram this week. The water plan proposes changes to customer service standards, outlines future infrastructure investment and costs of doing business. It also details pricing for G-MW’s core services of water storage and delivery. The water plan will become the pricing submission for the Essential Services Commission, an independent regulatory authority that assesses pricing and service standards. During the water plan, G-MW proposes capital expenditure of $126.4 million or an average annual expenditure of $31.6 million per year, compared to $27.4 million in the previous water plan. The completion of works on high risk retail assets and large dam safety projects are driving the increase. Of this proposed expenditure, $85.5 million is for irrigation and drainage services and will be used to complete works such as channel remodelling, rock armouring and drainage subways. About $4.6 million is proposed for diversion services which will be used for projects such as meter upgrades. while $36.3 million is proposed for bulk water services and includes the major safety upgrades at Tullaroop dam. G-MW is forecasting irrigation delivery volumes will decline during the 2016 water plan period under the influence of drier conditions and decreasing availability of carried over allocation.
arham irrigator Neil Chalmers took B advantage of what proved the perfect opportunity to achieve higher
➤ Murray Irrigation’s PIIOP project has received funding of $169.2 million from the Federal Government’s Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program in NSW.
ia Austral
flows on his property. By joining in Murray Irrigation’s Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program, the rice and crop farmer signed up for a project that has almost doubled the capacity of his irrigation delivery. Before, Mr Chalmers’ side-by-side Dethridge outlets were only capable of delivering 18 Ml/day or 9 Ml each wheel. Since the completion of his PIIOP project — which saw the two wheels replaced with a new extra-large FlumeGate outlet — Mr Chalmers is now capable of irrigating with up to 30 Ml/day. ‘‘We grew 60 ha of rice and 200 ha of irrigated pastures and crops from this outlet (FlumeGate), so it’s certainly desirable to be able to deliver larger volumes of water over the country,’’ Mr Chalmers said. ‘‘It’s achieving faster fill up for rice, as well as quicker coverage on crops and pasture which reduces the amount of water used per hectare. ‘‘The (PIIOP) project was about higher flows for me, but also about achieving less head loss. ‘‘We have a command problem on areas of this property. ‘‘The FlumeGate has definitely helped with less head loss through the outlet allowing us to cover the higher ground faster.’’ Mr Chalmers said the new system was a lot more flexible, with 12 hourly start-ups
and shut-offs and flow rate changes possible. That, associated with the new water ordering system, had created a pretty efficient system overall, he said. ‘‘It’s also good because the whole system above the outlet opens simultaneously, reducing lag time while full supply is achieved. ‘‘With the old system, you often weren’t able to shut your water off early enough, which may have resulted in wasted water, or shut off too early, which may have left a bay unfinished. ‘‘I’m also pleased with the ‘flood mode’ function on the new outlet that stops supply automatically if the farmer’s channel is blocked with weeds and cannot take the ordered flow.’’ Mr Chalmers’ property is located in Murray Irrigation’s Standard Level of Service area. This means outlets and regulators in his area are controlled remotely. Once the entire Murray Irrigation system is remotely controlled, SLOS customers will be able to change their water orders twice in a 24-hour period if channel flow conditions allow. ‘‘I’m pretty happy with the PIIOP process overall,’’ Mr Chalmers said. ‘‘The consultation was well conducted and the installation was smooth. The contractors were good to work with.’’
n
pe rated
Project delivers water faster
➤ The Kyabram meeting will be held on Friday, August 7, at the Kyabram Club from 10 am.
O
Neil Chalmers had two Dethridge wheels replaced, giving his irrigation system almost double the daily water output capacity.
Ow ne d &
PAGE 4—‘Water Talk’, August, 2015
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Plan protects the future o-one sets out to ruin a river N system. But decisions made about water use over the past
century have brought the mighty Murray River to the brink of ecological collapse. Former Prime Minister John Howard recognised this in 2006 when he and then Water Minister Malcolm Turnbull set us on the path to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan. The original $10 billion plan has now grown to a $13 billion plan. It’s hard to think of any sector, let alone agriculture, that is receiving this level of taxpayer support. Yet in the renewed outcry over the impacts of the basin plan, this massive investment seems to have been forgotten. While some communities are undoubtedly doing it tough and facing challenges, it can’t all be blamed on the basin plan. Commodity prices, weather conditions, exchange rates and terms of trade all influence farming. It’s time to separate myth from reality and check out what the impacts of the plan really are. Here are four overlooked facts. Fact one. Market forces are the main driver of higher water prices, not the basin plan. Water is in short supply due to drying conditions and drought in the
Opinion:
northern basin and high demand from new and existing users in the southern basin. Fact two. Water is not being taken back from irrigation communities without compensation. This is where the bulk of the
Juliet Le Feuvre
$13 billion comes in — investment in recovering water for the environment. Fact three. The volume of environmental water will not be sufficient to cause more than brief, minor flooding even when the basin plan is fully operational.
Regular, prolonged flooding of private property is a furphy. And finally, fact four, the biggest of all. To implement the plan, the Federal Government is investing more than $2.5 million every day in the future of irrigated agriculture for the next four years. This money is going into making irrigation infrastructure more efficient so that more value can be created from less water. In fact, in terms of farm productivity, the overall value of irrigated production is already rising. The basin plan is a convenient scapegoat, but it’s not responsible for all the challenges in irrigation communities. Years from now we’ll look back and wonder what we were all so worried about. What the basin plan does is look after the river that looks after us. As Mallee Catchment Management Authority conservation project officer Mal Thompson recently told The Australian, ‘‘This river is the most important thing we have in this country and it has to come first . . . the Murray is truly the lifeblood of this land’’. ➤ Juliet Le Feuvre is Environment Victoria healthy rivers campaign manager.
Releases will alter river level urray River communities M between Hume Dam and Yarrawonga Weir can expect
varying flows in late July and early August. River users should adjust their activities, pumps and moorings accordingly. Releases from Hume Dam started increasing in July. This short period of high release from Hume Dam will help to refill Lake Mulwala after its recent drawdown. Lake Mulwala is expected to reach normal operating height in early August. The flow will also include Commonwealth environmental water which will pass through Yarrawonga Weir to benefit native fish and vegetation along the Murray. The flow at Corowa may reach up to 17 500 Ml a day or 3.45 m local gauge height between Wednesday, July 29 and Tuesday, August 4. ➤ Live river data for sites on the River Murray system can be seen at www.livedata.mdba.gov.au
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Environmental flows wasted ’m writing concerning the Iflow planned environmental for the Goulburn which
myself and most people see as a waste of water as it has been eroding the banks and causing more green river red gums to fall into the river. I’ve noticed more trees fall into the river in the past two years than I’ve seen in the 60-odd years I’ve been fishing it. I believe these flows are directly responsible for the erosion of the banks. Geoff Earl claims the flows will increase vegetation and increase habitat for different water bugs and fish. The last flow recently put down the Goulburn did nothing for the main users of the Goulburn River, which happen to be fishermen, cray fishermen and campers. There’s only a few decent
Letter to the editor: boat ramps on the Goulburn, mainly in the major towns, so access in most places to launch any kind of tinnie or trailer is nearly impossible due to the sudden drop in water levels. The fact is the Goulburn River from Nagambie Weir to its junction at Stewart’s Bridge into the Murray is a fisherman’s river, but they have been denied their sport and have had to go elsewhere, therefore taking tourist dollars away from the area. As for these out-of-season flows helping the fish, it is purely fiction. The facts are our native fish spawn from September through to December, that is why the season is closed for Murray cod for September,
October and November. So if you environmental water holders want to do some good to the fish population of the Goulburn do it in the breeding season and then if the water levels and temperature is right it may trigger a spawning event. Natural floods in these months are the best for native fish when the water gets into the bush and fills all the swamps, lagoons and depressions. All these other so-called environmental flows are just a waste of good valuable water that could be used elsewhere, like Lake Cooper, Gaynors Swamp and Cornella Creek which would benefit the environment, the water birds, the fish, Victorian Ski Boat
Association, the duck shooters and the economy of Corop, Colbinabbin and all the neighbouring towns. The people involved in the quest to save Lake Cooper would cry if they saw the amount of water flowing down the Goulburn to top up the ocean in South Australia. What a waste of a Victorian commodity going out to sea and no advantage to Victoria’s economy or recreational pleasures or environment. If the environmental water holders don’t want to divert water to Lake Cooper via the Waranga Basin then give the water back to the farmers at a realistic price so that agriculture and the economy of Victoria can benefit from it. I have not heard one person agree with the water flows down the Goulburn. Not one.
— Aub Reddrop, Kyabram
‘Water Talk’, August, 2015—PAGE 5
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Herbicide in channels oulburn-Murray Water customers G are reminded not to access channel water before August 15.
An irrigation update will be held in Finley in mid-August.
Technology on display
n Irrigation Technology A Update, presented by Southern Growers and
Murray Local Land Services, will be held at the Finley Showgrounds Indoor Sports Centre Pavilion on Thursday, August 13. The field day allows local growers to see the latest in soil moisture monitoring, surface and spray irrigation technology, and automation for their farm.
The field day will have trade displays from local and interstate specialised irrigation suppliers. Southern Growers Farming Systems Committee chair Phil Snowden said the group was excited to present the day in Finley. ‘‘Maximising water use efficiency is one of the key concerns identified by local farmers,’’ Mr Snowden said.
‘‘There is a wide range of technologies available to irrigation farmers, including soil moisture monitoring equipment, automation and remote control for surface and spray irrigation, phone apps and computer software. ‘‘These new technologies and more will be on display at the field day.’’ Guest speakers with on-farm experience will take part, with
presentations starting at noon, followed by a free lunch. The event will be held from 10 am to 3 pm. Entry is free. Southern Growers is a notfor-profit agricultural research and extension organisation led by farmers from the southern Riverina region of NSW, based around Finley, particularly focused on irrigated farming systems.
The reminder applies to landholders in the Shepparton, Murray Valley and Central Goulburn irrigation areas. G-MW customer service and operations head Daniel Irwin said 300 km of channels in these areas had been drained during the irrigation off-season, from May 15 to August 15, to treat the noxious weed arrowhead with the herbicide Arsenal Xpress. ‘‘Arrowhead is one of the most troublesome aquatic weeds in our irrigation distribution system,’’ Mr Irwin said. ‘‘It affects water flow, promotes silting and causes problems with the automated regulators, impacting water delivery to customers.’’ From lateJuly people may notice the channels re-filling. ‘‘It is important that you do not access or use that water for any reason including watering stock or vegetation until August 15,’’ Mr Irwin said. ‘‘This is to ensure that herbicide decays before the irrigation season starts.’’ During de-watering of the channels G-MW conducted an aerial survey of the network to check the channels for leaks and seepage, and additional weed and silt build-up. ‘‘The images captured during the survey will help us plan future maintenance works to ensure the ongoing efficient delivery of water to our customers’ properties via our irrigation delivery network,’’ Mr Irwin said. ➤ For more information, phone 1800 013 357.
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‘Water Talk’, August, 2015—PAGE 7
water talk
Bores to be monitored in study in the Shepparton Itorrigators Irrigation Region can expect see members of GoulburnMurray Water’s drainage systems team in the next few weeks as its annual watertable study kicks off. More than 1600 observation bores across the region will be monitored to map shallow groundwater levels across the Murray Valley, Shepparton, Central Goulburn and Rochester irrigation areas. G-MW customer service and operations head Daniel Irwin said monitoring the watertable helped salinity management in the region. ‘‘Rainfall on a wet catchment impacts on the way the watertable behaves across the region,’’ Mr Irwin said. ‘‘Salinity problems associated with high watertables peaked in the Shepparton Irrigation Region in the mid-1990s, before watertables dropped away to their lowest point for 20 years in 2009 as a result of the extended drought. ‘‘Watertables again rose in response to significant rainfall in 2010 and 2011. ‘‘Regular monitoring identifies when and where groundwater pumping will help minimise any salinity impact.’’
The last watertable map published last year, based on readings from observation bores.
Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority sustainable irrigation manager Carl Walters said last year’s map showed the area of land where the watertable was within
3 m of the surface had increased from 9000 ha to 164 000 ha between 2009 and 2014. ‘‘If these watertable levels get within 2 m of the surface they
become a real cause for concern,’’ Mr Walters said. ‘‘This mapping project helps in planning and developing salinity management programs and implementation of
government funding initiatives.’’ Mr Walters said approaches to tackling the problem included efficient irrigation, surface drainage and appropriate subsurface drainage or shallow groundwater pumping. ‘‘The balance and connection between all of these actions in the right places at the right time has been critical so far in our region and the communitydriven planning for response has proven to be the key,’’ he said. Mr Irwin said the majority of bores were located on public land, but accessing sites on private land was also vital. ‘‘We’re grateful to landholders for partnering with the study and providing access to sites on private land,’’ he said. The monitoring will be undertaken by G-MW staff using mobile technology for data capture and transfer. The Watertable Study is jointly funded by Goulburn Broken CMA and G-MW. ➤ A copy of the 2015 August Watertable Study map will be available later this year. For more information phone G-MW water resources officer Noel Watts on 5826 3791.
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PAGE 8—‘Water Talk’, August, 2015
water talk
piping your future
I spy with my little eye – an app
We pride ourselves on quality and customer service, and because we are local we have established an outstanding reputation within the industry.
lmost 5000 people A have downloaded the free iSpy Frogs and iSpy
Fish apps since they were launched in 2013-14 by the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority. Goulburn Broken CMA environmental water project officer Jo Wood said the iSpy Frogs app allows users to record frog sightings, and the iSpy Fish app allows recreational fishers to record their catch using their smart phone or tablet. ‘‘The apps are another mechanism for the Goulburn Broken CMA to engage with the community and collect useful information about the distribution of the frogs and fish and their habitat,’’ Ms Wood said. ‘‘This information helps us to plan and target onground works and manage habitat and conditions for frogs and fish. ‘‘The data collected is being used to improve our understanding of the distribution of frog and fish populations across the
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❝The apps are another mechanism for the Goulburn Broken CMA to engage with the community.❞ Goulburn Broken CMA’s Jo Wood catchment, and it helps us gather information about the location of threatened frog species and the movement of threatened fish species such as the Macquarie perch. ‘‘We have funding through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program for the protection of private land wetlands, and our State Governmentfunded river health incentives can assist landholders to protect priority waterways. ‘‘So if we can target onground works and help landholders protect and enhance threatened species habitat, that’s a terrific outcome.’’ The frog and fish records are displayed on a map on
the Goulburn Broken CMA’s website. So far 949 sightings of frogs have been recorded and 43 fish catches, including threatened trout cod and freshwater catfish, have been recorded. The iSpy Frogs app was developed in partnership with Museum Victoria and the iSpy Fish app was developed in partnership with Sumo Software, with assistance from Arthur Rylah Institute scientist Jarod Lyon and University of Canberra’s Mark Lintermans. ➤ For more information about the iSpy Frogs and iSpy Fish apps, visit www.gbcma.vic.gov. au/ispy_catchment_creatures Find iSpy Fish on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ gbcmaispyfish
Guidelines available he Ministerial Guidelines for T Groundwater Licensing and the Protection of High Value
Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems are now available online at the Victorian Water Register. Applications for new groundwater entitlements or to trade groundwater will now be assessed against these guidelines so that high-value groundwater-dependent ecosystems are protected. The guidelines: ➤ Establish a clear framework for considering groundwater-dependent ecosystems when making groundwater licensing decisions. ➤ Clarify how high value groundwater dependent ecosystems are to be protected. ➤ Provide guidance on how to make an assessment about groundwater dependent ecosystems in consideration of sections 40 and 53 of the Water Act. The guidelines also include direction for rural water corporations on when to refer applications to catchment management authorities for additional information and comment. Publishing of these guidelines delivers on a key action to improve protection of high value groundwater dependent ecosystems when licensing groundwater. DELWP thanked rural water corporations and catchment management authorities for their contributions over the past two years in development of the guidelines.
Connections Project Connections Project Winter Works 2015
Connections Project beneÀts For our farmers: 24/7 water ordering during the irrigation season + Water delivered in 24 hours + Constant and reliable flows = Increased opportunities for producers to respond and adapt to climate, demand and land use changes.
Up to $100 million of works including:
Swan Hill
5 Automation sites 3 Channel remediation sites 5 Pipeline sites
Automation works: 73 sites to be automated Channel remediation works: 16 pools to be remediated* Pipeline works: 56 pipelines to be built^
Torrumbarry
Kerang
25 Automation sites 5 Channel remediation sites 28 Pipeline sites
Cohuna
3 Automation sites 3 Channel remediation sites 3 Pipeline sites Murray Valley
For our region: Cobram
Central Goulburn
Loddon Valley
Nathalia Pyramid Hill
Numurkah
Echuca Kyabram
Shepparton
Rochester Tatura
26 Automation sites 1 Channel remediation sites 1 Pipeline sites
Shepparton Rochester
14 Automation sites 4 Channel remediation sites 19 Pipeline sites
*This involves a mixture of outer bank remodelling and plastic and clay lining of 30.78km of channels, generating about 3,633 ML of water savings. ^8 pipelines can be built ‘in season ’.
For more information visit www.gmwater.com.au
$2 billion Commonwealth and Victorian investment to secure agricultural productivity + Creation of hundreds of jobs for local contractors and businesses + Increased investment and confidence in agriculture and related sectors = Thriving communities well positioned to meet future growth.
For our environment: Healthier waterways due to reduced water losses from channels + Water savings contribute to Victoria’s share of the Murray Darling Basin water recovery targets + Farmers use the same or less water more efficiently to produce more = Sustainable, productive communities.
‘Water Talk’, August, 2015—PAGE 9
water talk
Debris blocked by Riverscreen s with many other farmers, A Bob Wietharn had a real problem.
The American farmer irrigated from a river so shallow that he could usually wade across it, but the nozzles of his centre pivots kept clogging up with debris sucked up through the system Cottonwood fuzz was the worst offender and a screen over the pump inlet that prevented sticks from entering would then clog up with cottonwood fuzz. Conversely, a screen large enough to let the fuzz through also allowed larger debris through, leading to frustrating hours of cleaning nozzles and filters. Mr Wietharn faced the tough choice: either quit irrigating or
design some type of self-cleaning device to fit onto the suction inlet. The answer he came up with was the Riverscreen — a rotating water-driven, self-cleaning screen that dependably delivers good water from water as shallow as 100 mm. Mr Wietharn developed and built a prototype that he believed worked flawlessly. Neighbours heard about it and also wanted to try it. The Riverscreen was born and a highly successful manufacturing and distribution enterprise, based in Kansas in the United States, began. Today Riverscreen is available in almost every state in the US and in 15 countries around the world,
including South Africa and now, Australia. The device is a water-driven rotating self-cleaning screen that dependably delivers good water from as little as 100 mm in depth, solving the problem of reliably drawing clean water for centre pivot or lateral irrigation from a river or canal. It has been designed and built for shallow water pumping and prevents sand, leaves and other debris in the water source from getting into and clogging filters, reducing maintenance and operational costs. ➤ Riverscreen is distributed by Eagle-i Machinery at Finley. Phone Peter Brunt on 0427 056 240.
From Kansas to the world. The rotating water-driven Riverscreen gets the debris out of shallow rivers or channels before it reaches the pump. This is one in operation at Berrigan.
Are you looking to Buy or Sell Water!
Agriculture
When you trade water with Ray White Rochester you gain access to a wider range of customer networks through our inter-broker trading partners, and deal with brokers that have been irrigators and understand the demands of watering. WANTED: With permanent water prices currently at an all-time high, and continued strong demand on the buy side, if you are thinking of selling high or low security water entitlements then give us a call. We currently have BUY orders at excellent prices waiting to be filled across all irrigation zones.
ALLOCATION TRADING: We now have access to a wide range of products for approved clients that allow customers to lock in allocation now and pay for it later, lease back options for entitlement, crop terms arrangements, and forward allocation contracts. Call us for more information. Drop in and meet us on site at the Elmore field days where we will be happy to discuss your water needs.
Ray White Rochester Water Brokers; Call for all your water trading needs
Archards Irrigation can design, manufacture, supply and install polyethylene pipe and riser systems also channel bay outlets, diesel or electric pumps, dam sites and doors. We can also design and install farm re-use systems all with focus on water savings.
Rob Hosking 0428 300 056
15 Gillies Street Rochester
5484 2400
Ken Oliver 0417 303 761
Luke Ryan 0438 841 127 Cohuna Branch Finley Branch (03) 5456 2664 (03) 5883 4181 admin@archards.com.au
www.archards.com.au
PAGE 10—‘Water Talk’, August, 2015
water talk
Help so fish can keep swimming oncept designs are under C way for a fishway that is expected to help the
recovery of the native fish population in Gunbower Creek. Koondrook Weir is on Gunbower Creek near the Koondrook township. It is one of the five remaining barriers throughout the Gunbower and lower Loddon region that prevents fish — such as the threatened golden perch, silver perch and Murray cod — from accessing the creek. North Central Catchment Management Authority project manager Anna Chatfield said a fishway would dramatically improve connectivity for fish movement and migration, and is one piece of the puzzle to help increase native fish numbers in the creek. The authority has secured funding from the Victorian Government to begin designing a fishway at Koondrook Weir. ‘‘Golden perch and silver perch regularly move hundreds of kilometres, usually to spawn and re-colonise in areas such as Gunbower Creek,’’ Ms Chatfield said. ‘‘Murray cod also move upstream, often over tens of kilometres, before the spawning season and then return to a home range downstream afterwards. ‘‘Weirs like the one at
Koondrook hinders this important part of these species’ life cycle. ‘‘A fishway, combined with environmental flows at Koondrook Weir, will help native fish re-colonise the Gunbower Creek, which, over time, will lead to increased fish numbers in the creek. “Once the concept designs are complete we will have a better understanding about how much a fishway would cost to construct. ‘‘This information will enable us to seek funding for the next stage of detailed design and construction.’’ Ms Chatfield said weir operations and enabling public access would play an important part of the fishway design. ‘‘We will be working closely with design engineers, fish ecologists and GoulburnMurray Water over the next six months to design the fishway,’’ she said. ‘‘During the design process we will be looking at things such as the type of fishway that best suits the site, how big the fishway needs to be, what fish are most likely to use the fishway and constructability — assessing how public access and weir operations may be impacted by any future construction.’’
A fishway at Koondrook Weir is one piece in the puzzle to help increase native fish numbers in the creek.
Making your farm more water efficient
Turning old fashioned flood irrigation into precision surface irrigation. • All forms of agricultural earthworks • On-farm efficiency layouts • Top soiling • Bulk earthmoving • Rock line channels
PTY.LTD.
Contact Peter Hendy today on 0428 848 900.
‘Water Talk’, August, 2015—PAGE 11
water talk
Emotional debate C
ommunity passion has been misconstrued as immaturity in the MurrayDarling Basin Plan debate, Murray Irrigation Ltd chair Bruce Simpson has suggested. The former Murray Group of Concerned Communities chairman believes that is the likely scenario when quizzed on Ricegrowers Association of Australia executive director Dean Logan’s comments, which were issued in a press release last week. Mr Logan said there needed to be a ‘‘more constructive, mature and less emotive’’ approach to the basin plan. He made the comments when announcing he would bring together commodity-based chief executives to address future policy solutions surrounding the ongoing implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Mr Simpson welcomed Mr Logan’s plan, highlighting that industry chief executives would need to adopt a ‘‘different style’’ to get results. But he warned the industry approach and community approach should not be ‘‘mutually exclusive’’. Mr Simpson said the basin plan, which recommends removing a minimum of 2750 Gl of water from food production for environmental projects, will have far-reaching impacts for everyone that must be explored and communicated. ‘‘There’s two roles here — one is about the community voicing its concerns and the other is this group of (agricultural industry) CEOs,’’ Mr Simpson said. ‘‘If both groups do their roles well, we can get good outcomes. I don’t think there’s been an immature approach to date, however,’’ he said.
Inflow Conditions
17 August 2015
15 October 2015
15 February 2016
‘‘When there’s an issue to be fought, farmers, organisations and communities will always come with passion — passion drives emotion and without it the cause to some degree is powerless. ‘‘It’s very important the community comes together to voice its concerns in a way that makes other people realise that their community is concerned. ‘‘Both (approaches) are equally important and I encourage every sector of the community to do its bit to ensure our community in large gets the best outcomes it can.’’ Stakeholders have long argued that the basin plan is too heavily weighted toward the environment, which they say is guided by the wording of the Water Act 2007.
Wet
100%
100%
100%
Average
74%
100%
100%
Dry
51%
83%
100%
Extreme Dry
45%
50%
59%
— Deniliquin Pastoral Times
Projects aim to protect perch unding is available for F landholders in the Goulburn Broken Catchment
to carry out works to protect and improve the health and resilience of King Parrot Creek and Yea River. Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority river health officer Kirsten Roszak said this was the fourth year the King Parrot Creek and Hooray for the Yea projects had been funded. ‘‘This is the final year of these four-year projects, so we’re encouraging landholders to get involved now while grants are still available,’’ Ms Roszak said. ‘‘Over the past three years we have worked closely with landholders with King Parrot Creek and Yea River frontages to erect more than 7 km of fencing and protect around 26 ha of riparian land, and we have planted more than 9000 indigenous plants in these areas.’’ Ms Roszak said the aim of the final year of these projects was to expand on these results and continue to assist landholders who want to help protect the environment along these valuable waterways. ‘‘The King Parrot Creek and the Yea River are priority waterways in the Goulburn
Goulburn System Outlook for Seasonal Determination of High-Reliability Water Shares
Broken System Outlook for Seasonal Determination of High-Reliability Water Shares Inflow Conditions
17 August 2015
15 October 2015
15 February 2016
Wet
74%
100%
100%
Average
53%
100%
100%
Dry
0%
23%
53%
Extreme Dry
0%
0%
2%
Loddon System Outlook for Seasonal Determination of High-Reliability Water Shares Inflow Conditions
17 August 2015
15 October 2015
15 February 2016
Wet
100%
100%
100%
Average
74%
100%
100%
Dry
50%
83%
100%
Extreme Dry
39%
39%
40%
Small increases in opening allocations were announced for Goulburn-Murray Water irrigation customers in mid-July. Improvements recently announced were a two per cent increase in the Murray system and a three per cent increase in the Goulburn system. G-MW northern resource manager Mark Bailey said the improvement was not the result of more rain, but because losses assumed for July 15 were not as bad as predicted.
G-MW expects future to be drier
oulburn-Murray Water G expects to be delivering less water to irrigators in future A Macquarie perch. Broken Waterways Strategy, and they contain very important populations of nationally threatened Macquarie perch. ‘‘We have had great involvement from local community groups who have assisted the CMA and landholders to make a real difference to the condition of these waterways. ‘‘Landholders have been very co-operative and are thrilled with the improvement they are seeing in riparian health once grazing has been controlled.’’ The King Parrot Creek and Hooray for the Yea projects aim
Picture: ARI to improve the condition of the riparian zone, increase in-stream habitat and improve water quality to protect Macquarie perch populations. Anglers are reminded that taking Macquarie perch from waterways within the Goulburn Broken Catchment is prohibited, and it is important to return the fish to the waterway as soon as possible if accidentally caught. ➤ For more information on the King Parrot Creek and the Hooray for the Yea projects, phone Kirsten Roszak at the Goulburn Broken CMA Yea office on 5797 4400.
years. The corporation’s water plan has been shaped around expectations that conditions will generally be drier in the future. In an outlook delivered by northern resource manager Mark Bailey at a water plan information session, he said the corporation was planning on a drier future. ‘‘We do expect to see a plateauing out of available water, taking into account the work of the CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology,’’ Dr Bailey said. ‘‘We are in a dry scenario at the moment, and we will not get to 100
per cent in the Goulburn system until quite late in the season.’’ In NSW, the southern Riverina was also facing a similar trend to Victoria. NSW Water has been forecasting no water available for general security users. ‘‘This could have the effect of less trading water available on the market and with less water, prices could go up,’’ Dr Bailey said. He also pointed to the possibility that if it remained dry, the Commonwealth might go into the water market and buy up water for environmental purposes and the likelihood was that they would go to Victoria because it had more reliability.
PAGE 12—‘Water Talk’, August, 2015
Ensure optimum performance for your irrigation infrastructure CHECK OUT OUR BRAND NEW WEBSITE
eaglei.com.au featuring brochures, videos and product information.
The Riverscreen is a great addition to the line of products that Eagle I Machinery offer. It has been designed to eliminate impurities before the pump. This helps for a number of reasons: • There is no need for a filter on the pressure side of the pump. This eliminates the need to continually clean a pressure filter (when these block your pumping costs go up). • Cleans water before the pump for reduced pump wear. • Low maintenance. • Always maintaining constant pressure in your pivot ensures accurate irrigation application. • Can pump from dams or rivers down to 4 inches depth with no vortex. The addition of a Riverscreen to complement your irrigation set up ensures that your infrastructure is operating at optimum performance. “The Riverscreen is the best product I have seen in 52 years of farming. I have 3 Riverscreens and it has completely changed our process of irrigating out of the river and creek. It has taken the pain out of irrigating! I have been through it all and it completely changed everything for us. It’s a great idea and it does EXACTLY what it is supposed to do. I really appreciate this product. I would like to get a lawn chair, sit and watch it run.” - Steve Kean, Dawson, NE
“Adding a pivot to my operation was one of the best decisions that I’ve made. But after 4 years muskrats plugged the suction with mud. I couldn’t keep it running for any longer than 3 hours. Then I found the Riverscreen. Since the purchase I haven’t had one problem with the suction end of my pivot. I recommend this to everyone that sucks water from an outside source. It’s simply amazing to see what the Riverscreen has done for me.” - Kelly Jasperson, Thayne, WY Visit eaglei.com.au for more information or phone 0427 056 240.
THE T-L DIFFERENCE PROVEN TECHNOLOGY THAT WORKS!
Come and see us at our new warehouse on the Newell Highway in Finley.
Safe hydraulic irrigators • Centre Pivots • Repipes • Lateral Irrigators • Spare parts
The Choice is Simple.
Call 0427 056 240 for all enquiries Or email peter@eaglei.com.au
eaglei.com.au
Eagle i Machinery Pty Ltd Newell Highway, Finley NSW Ph (03) 5883 2391 Fax (03) 5883 3179
www.eaglei.com.au