The Water for a Healthy Country Flagship is identifying significant irrigation water savings through efficiency, technology and engineering.
This project will provide underpinning science for the Australian Governments package worth more than A$9 billion over ten years to modernise irrigation infrastructure both on- and off-farm to save water, increase water productivity and retire inefficient irrigation schemes across Australia.
This will lead to more efficient, productive and profitable rural water use with a view to maintaining the value of irrigated production in the face of declining water availability.
Maintaining water for irrigation
Significant improvements in irrigation water efficiency are possible by increasing the value of water use at the paddock, farm and irrigation area level through:
This project will aid in targeting infrastructure investment in water use efficiency hotspots and help target areas for buying water for dealing with the over-allocation issues.
It will evaluate spatial water losses and gains, including seepage, evaporation, and excessive overuse, both within and outside the irrigation systems and develop strategies for improved water productivity and minimal environmental impact.
The research will underpin the most profitable agricultural uses of surface and ground water ensuring minimal resource degradation and minimal environmental and social impacts.
This project will lead to more efficient, productive and profitable rural water use with a view to maintaining the value of irrigated production in the face of declining water availability.
Work will include reseach to optimise irrigation systems, including:
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land and surface and groundwater resource availability and suitability
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cropping
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productivity
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irrigation scheduling
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drainage strategies
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salts, nutrients and pesticide generation and outflows
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impacts on downstream surface and groundwater bodies.
Delivering water savings
The key project outcome will include business opportunities for improving the management of surface and groundwater resources to satisfy environmental and consumptive demand in irrigated catchments.
Research emphasis is on irrigation water use as an important part of water resource management.
This project will be delivered in a national context through focussed work to harmonise irrigation systems, in partnership with the CRC for Irrigation Futures in the following regions:
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Limestone Coast in South Australia
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McIntyre Brook Irrigation System in Queensland
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South West Irrigation Systems in Western Australia
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Coleabally in New South Wales.
Read about the Regional water research to help manage water in rural Australia.
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