NSW Feasibility Assessments

The following is a list of the New South Wales projects currently on the central register for water recovery measures:

• Assessment of the off–farm channel seepage and preliminary analysis of options of the Moira Private Irrigation District
• Murray and Lower Murray–Darling Wetland Savings Investigations
• Investigation of the potential to recover water through the construction of an en-route storage 'The Drop' on the Mulwala Canal in the Murray Irrigation Ltd area of operation
• Metering accuracy, water use efficiency study, and evaluation of infrastructure options for water recovery for the West Corurgan Private Irrigation District in Southern NSW
• Coleambally Main Canal - Seepage and leakage savings project
• Coobool irrigation system savings - NSW Department of Natural Resources
• Lake Moira (Stage 3) - NSW Department of Natural Resources
• Seepage and leakage savings in group licences suply infrastructure (scoping) - NSW Department of Natural Resources
• On-farm water efficiency project - Ricegrowers Association & Irrigators Australia

Assessment of the off farm channel seepage and preliminary analysis of options for the Moira Private Irrigation District

This project will investigate water losses and their causes in the delivery channel network of the Moira Private Irrigation District. 

 
Above: EM31 equipment used for electro-magnetic imaging.
Photos: Best Practice Guidelines for Channel Seepage Identification and Management, ANCID, 2003

A desktop assessment of losses in the Moira Private Irrigation District has been completed. This included the collation of data relating to diversions from various channels within Moira PID; completion of a water balance and electro-magnetic imaging of Moira PID irrigation channels to determine key areas of seepage and leakage.  A second consultancy has commenced to quantify the losses and assess the cost of remediation.

Further work to be undertaken:

• Pondage tests to quantify seepage (pending availability of water).
• Costing of options to recover these losses.

We expect the report to be available on this site by September 2007

Left: Output diagram from EM31 equipment.
Photo: Best Practice Guidelines for Channel Seepage Identification and Management, ANCID, 2003

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Murray and Lower Murray Darling Wetland Savings Investigations

This project has investigated the potential for water savings from the exclusion of high regulated summer flows from wetlands in the Murray and Lower Darling Rivers and their tributaries in NSW. The water savings are expected to arise from a reduction in evaporation and seepage from wetlands.

This project is now completed and approval for posting to the website is pending.

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Investigation of the potential to recover water by the construction of a 30GL en-route storage ‘The Drop’ on the Mulwala Canal in the Murray Irrigation Ltd area of operation

Above: Possible location for water storage at "the drop"  Photo: Unknown 

The project has investigated the design and operational aspects of a potential storage at the Drop on Mulwala Canal to recover water currently ‘lost’ through rain rejections.

This project has now been completed and the final report is pending.

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Metering accuracy, water use efficiency study and evaluation of infrastructure options for water recovery for the West Corurgan Private Irrigation District in Southern NSW.

This project built on a previous seepage and leakage study and investigated other water loss components in the West Corugan PID including metering error, outfalls and evaporation. The project also examined how works may reduce these losses.

Left: Final Pond 8, West Corurgan PID

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Coleambally Main Canal - Seepage and Leakage Savings Project

This project will quantify the losses in the Coleambally Main Canal. It will develop and cost options for mitigation of these losses.

 
Above left: Thermal imaging output (Click to enlarge)
Above right: Typical output from an electrical conductivity image assessment (Click to enlarge)
Photo: David Allen

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Coobool irrigation system savings

This project will describe the current management of the Coobool irrigation system (near Swan Hill) in NSW, and identify alternative operating scenarios. It will also look at the construction of infrastructure and alternative water supplies. 

There are significant system inefficiencies in the current Coobool delivery system. The timing of supply for irrigation needs also results in summer flooding of wetlands connected to the river channels, which increase volume losses through evaporation. This project will describe the current management of the Coobool system and identify alternative operating scenarios. This may include the construction of infrastructure and provision of alternative water supplies to recover water.

• benchmark current condition of system and operating practices within the system;
• identify infrastructure works and operational options to recover water and create system efficiencies (in conjunction with State Water and water users);
• verify the savings through hydrological modelling;
• produce concept design and costing for any works and operational changes;
• negotiate any buy-back options.

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Lake Moira (Stage 3)

Project Detail:

This project will investigate the feasibility of recovering water by completing some previously planned infrastructure works at Lake Moira.  The planning and design work involved assessing the construction of a drainage channel from Lake Moira to the River Murray.  Also previously completed was an Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed works.

This project will involve:

• reviewing all the previous costs and designs;
• calculating the potential water recovery using the current hydrological model;
• consulting with all the associated parties; and,
• determining the applicability of the Environmental Impact Assessment under the current planning rules.

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Seepage and leakage savings in group licences supply infrastructure in NSW (scoping)

This project will involve a desktop review of all group licenses and irrigation trusts in the Murray and Murrumbidgee system. It will identify the potential for water recovery through infrastructure works such as channel sealing and pipelining.  The project may be expanded in the future if cost effective water recovery opportunities are identified.

Project Detail:

This project will investigate the potential to recover water through infrastructure improvements in the smaller group licence supply infrastructure within NSW. These improvements may include channel sealing, lining or pipelining. The project will develop a list of all potential group licence supply systems and assess their suitability for further water recovery investigations, using agreed variables.  These variables will include cost, ease of the works, the likely timeframe of the works and the estimated volumes of water to be recovered.

The output from this project will be a list of all the group licence supply infrastructure systems along with their estimated potential for improvements to recover water.  Any systems which are identified within this list as having good potential for water recovery may then be chosen for further more detailed investigations. 

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On-farm water efficiency project 

This project will investigate water recovery on-farm from the adoption of more efficient farm irrigation systems. The project will assess the feasibility of investing in on farm infrastructure in return for either whole or part of the annual allocations from an entitlement.

Project Detail:

This project will be co-ordinated by the Ricegrowers Association of Australia and Irrigators Australia Ltd. It will investigate the potential for water recovery on-farm from the adoption of more efficient farm irrigation systems. The project will employ a facilitator to co-ordinate with Land & Water Management Plan staff to investigate the acquisition of farm savings.  The facilitator will assess the water recovery potential and cost of efficiency improvements. The facilitator will also discuss with individual irrigators the potential arrangements for funding in exchange for water and gain an expression of interest.  To support this process, tools to calculate on-farm water savings and assess taxation implications will be developed. 

The project will collate the information collected by the facilitator to determine the level of commitment by irrigators for on-farm water efficiency projects and the cost of achieving these. The project will supply a package of measures suitable for listing on the Living Murray Developmental Register.

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