environmental best practice salinity crisis · • damien demaj and astrid at penguin cartography...

T h i s b o o k w a s p r o d u c e d a n d d i s t r i b u t e d b y D M C i v i l a s i t s c o n t r i b u t i o n a n d c o m m i t m e n t t ot h e e n v i r o n m e n t , f a r m e r s a n d r u r a l c o m m u n i t i e so f W e s t e r n A u s t r a l i a

SALINITY

A C R E A T I V E E N G I N E E R I N G S O L U T I O N

A C O N C E P T T O P O W E R R U R A L R E C O V E R Y

SALINITYCRISISCRISIS

ACTION PLAN

P e t e r A . C o y n eD a v i d R . W i l l i a m s o nJ o n a t h o n F . T h o m a s2 0 0 2

N a t i o n a l C a s e E a r t h A w a r dE n v i r o n m e n t a l B e s t P r a c t i c e

S a l i n i t y i s a n i n s i d i o u s c r e e p i n g c a n c e r

w h i c h c a u s e s a s i g n i f i c a n t b l i g h t

o n t h e l a n d s c a p e a n d h a s b e e n

i d e n t i f i e d b y b o t h F e d e r a l a n d S t a t e

G o v e r n m e n t s

a s t h e s i n g l e b i g g e s t

e n v i r o n m e n t a l i s s u e f a c i n g

A u s t r a l i a t o d a y .

The compilation and publication of thisbook required an enormous effort from anumber of people without whose help thisbook would not have become a reality.

I gratefully acknowledge and thank:

• David Williamson• Jonathon Thomas• Reg Toohey• Tony Spanjers• Graeme Campbell• Damien Demaj and Astrid

at Penguin Cartography• Jenny, Penelope and Peter

at ASAP Print• Avon Lovell• Jon Warren• Gordon White• DOLA

P R E F A C EThis book serves a number of purposes, providing hope and

expectation to farmers and the rural communities of Western

Australia that the devastation and losses caused by salinity

may be reversed and the land returned to production within

the current generation of farmers.

During the three years it has taken to complete the

pre-feasibility of this project many engineers, scientists,

academics and farmers have expressed the view that for the

first time we have a realistic opportunity to provide a ‘whole

of catchment’ approach to dealing with increasing salinity.

Agencies charged with the responsibility for salinity and land

degradation for many years have been negative in their

approach to the fight. Their suggestions included

“no amount of revegetation or engineering solutions

would save the upper reaches of the Avon and Blackwood

rivers”, or “I accept that some of the stream systems in

the South West will be irreversibly lost”.

Other statements sure to cause farmers concern include

“people might have to live with encroaching salt unless

farmers could be convinced to move away from

traditional practices and the State embark on a massive

revegetation program”. Another has warned “that

between 50 and 60 per cent of farming land could be lost

to salinity. He said the widely accepted prediction of 30

per cent was conservative”. Then added “I think we have

to do our best to control it but to solve it, I’m not sure we

can do that.”

Salinity is a commercial and environmental problem requiring

a commercial solution. To effect positive, swift and

meaningful results, responsibility for action should be

transferred to the major stakeholders, including the Shires,

farmers, rural residents and businesses in these areas. These

people are substantially at risk and have a real and vested

interest in any outcomes, in contrast to the salaried position

of Government scientific advisers and policy makers.

Political will is the other major area of change needed. Every

political party attempting to win office targets salinity and

land degradation to win votes. Once the election is over

those promises are quickly forgotten. A recent example is the

Government’s decision to cancel the Matrix car leasing deal

at a cost to the State of $200m plus a potential further tax

liability of $60m. This decision was made because the Matrix

deal was costing the State $2.0m per month. If a quick

decision can be made and $200m found to save $24m a year

in static losses, surely logic would guarantee that the same

Government would find the same amount of money to

eradicate the $300m per year in losses caused by salinity,

excluding losses in biodiversity and environmental

sustainability. The fact is that, by their own published figures,

losses to State infrastructure in roads, buildings etc is $12m

per month or $150m per year. The other $150m per year are

production losses, but these affect seed and fertiliser

merchants, stores, contractors, employees, hotels etc. which

in turn affects State and Federal tax receipts.

The ultimate irony in discharging the Matrix liability was the

Governments decision to then defer a number of current

budget items including the expenditure of $4.0m earmarked

for pilot engineering projects designed to combat salinity.

The State Salinity Strategy released in 2000 was the

culmination of 10 years investigation into the problem before

deciding on a course of action. In that ten years saline land

increased from 1.0m hectares to 2.0m hectares and is

forecast to double again in a reasonably short time. Now

another new report has recommended the scrapping of the

earlier Strategy.

When will Governments ever wake up to these agencies and

bureaucrats who continually push for yet more investigation

and research. This serves to guarantee their continued

employment. It does not develop creative solutions, but

perpetuates the culture of salinity management established

in the 50’s and 60’s.

This publication -- and all the research, reports and

investigations advancing the projects -- has been carried out

privately by competent professional people whose credentials

appear in this book. Funding was privately sourced with not

one cent coming from agency or government sources.

The reports contained within this publication are at arms

length and independent and were commissioned so as to

obtain an unbiased view of the problem and possible

solutions. The authors are named and stand behind their

findings and reports.They are not the usual “faceless men,”

so often encountered.

I urge all readers to come to their own conclusions about the

contents, and if satisfied that the proposals are sensible and

rational, to communicate those views or concerns to the

authors so that a collective, determined and focused voice

can be directed to the Government.

Peter Coyne

C O N T E N T SProject Description and Benefits..............................................................ii - vii

Maps .........................................................................................................viii - xi

Report 1 : Dryland Salinity in Crisis – Causes and Cures Compared -

D.R. Williamson

Introduction ........................................................................................1 - 3

Basic Requirements of Salinisation .........................................................4

Historic Management Scenarios ......................................................5 - 10

Components of Integrated Salinity Management ..........................11 - 16

Conculsions ....................................................................................17 - 20

Bibliography....................................................................................21 - 22

Location Map ....................................................................................................23

Graph - “Trend in Area of Salt Affected Land..” .......................................24

Report 2 : Salinity : An Indicative Economic Study:

Blackwood Catchment Economic Appraisal

J.F. Thomas and D.R. Williamson...........................................

Abstract...............................................................................................i - iv

Background & Objective ....................................................................1 - 4

Economic Activity and Resources....................................................4 - 11

Potential benefits of Salinity Reduction for Agriculture, Infrastructure and Water Quality....................................................12 - 21

Summary and Conclusions.............................................................21 - 24

References ............................................................................................25

Appendices.....................................................................................26 - 33

© Agri-Tech Hydropower 2002ISBN 0-9580568-0-3

Published by Agri-Tech Hydropower, 3 Curtin Grove Bentley. WA 6102 Tel: (08) 9258 8188Email: [email protected]: www.agritech.hydropower.com

Printed in Australia by ASAP Print & Design, 328 Albany Highway, Victoria Park. WA

SALINITY CRIS IS ACTION PLAN i

T h e P r o j e c t

B L A C K W O O D R I V E R

C A T C H M E N T S A L I N I T Y A N D

H Y D R O - E L E C T R I C P R O J E C TThis proposal is borne from the often used

expression that ‘necessity is the mother of

invention’.

Farmers and rural communities can no

longer discharge saline groundwater

into existing rivers, streams, lakes or

watercourses and as a consequence

can only watch as the groundwater

continues to rise and are powerless to negate

the inevitable damage caused.

Our State Government and its agencies

continue to promote tree-planting,

re-vegetation and farmer education as the

tools necessary to fight salinity. If it is so

patently clear to them that the water usage

and pumping qualities of trees and vegetation

will arrest the problem, why do they

continually oppose engineering solutionss

such as aquifer pumping and open drains?

This scheme proposes a system of pumping

bores, canals and lateral drains within the

Shires of Dumbleyung, Wagin, West Arthur,

Woodanilling, Narrogin, Wickepin, Broomehill,

Katanning, Kulin, Kojonup, Boyup Brook and

Collie. The drainage water will be transferred

to the ocean in a main canal with length of

approximately 200km.

The purpose of the canal system is to allow

groundwater drainage within its proximity and

receive water from pumping bores in palaeo-

drainage aquifers so as to reduce the water

table in that area. An additional series of

lateral drains connecting the main canal will

also assist in this function and, additionally,

allow farmers to discharge their groundwater

from distant points.

For most of the canal’s journey to the

Beaufort River Flats, the water will be a

gravity supply. Once at the Flats, the water

will be directed west on the contour towards

the ocean, to a point on the Darling Scarp just

south of the Wellington Dam.

Necessarily, a substantial amount of the canal

west of the Beaufort River Flats will have to

be concrete-lined to avoid any environmental

problems while passing through the

Wellington Dam Catchment, or other possibly

sensitive areas.

Once at the escarpment, the water will be

held in a storage dam of approximately

1,000,000 cubic metre capacity. From there, it

will be discharged down the escarpment

through penstocks (large pipes) to a hydro-

electric generating plant located at the foot of

the scarp.

Once the water has been through the power

generating turbines, it will continue its journey

for a further 20kms before its final discharge

to the sea.

On the preliminary work and investigation of

the proposal, it has been found that the

scheme will remove approximately 400 million

cubic metres of saline groundwater per

annum at a rate of 12 cubic metres per

second and generate between 15-20

megawatts of power (sufficient to supply

between 4,500-6,000 homes) annually.

ii SALINITY CRIS IS ACTION PLAN

iii

W H A T A R E T H E B E N E F I T S ?

• Correction of vast tracts of land lost to

salt.

• Ongoing removal of excess saline

groundwater to the ocean.

• Reverse the current expansion of salt

affected land.

• Complementary to benefits of biological

control methods.

• Rapid response time which can encourage

application of whole of catchment

management of the salinity problem.

• Restoring productivity to previously good

agricultural land.

• Restoring confidence in food production

on broad acre farms.

• Restoration of economics and

environmental benefits to rural

communities.

• Jobs during the construction phase and

afterwards to maintain the drainage

system.

• A clean renewable energy project which

will contribute to Western Australia’s

target of reducing Greenhouse Gas

Emissions under the Kyoto Convention.

Digging a lateral drain

What can we do?

SALINITY CRIS IS ACTION PLAN

W H A T A B O U T A N

E N G I N E E R I N G S O L U T I O N ?

In the past, engineering solutions have been

dismissed as too expensive! Nothing can be

too expensive given the rapid degradation of

our State’s agricultural land and consequent

loss of productive capacity.

The community cannot accept that “some of

the stream systems in the South West will be

irreversibly lost” (Tim McAuliffe, West

Australian Newspaper, 15.2.99).

We believe that a drainage system can help

revitalise the Upper Blackwood River

Catchment. Lake Dumbleyung was previously

a pristine freshwater lake, but is now

becoming a saltlake with salinity higher than

that of seawater.

An extensive canal system would be supplied

with water from open drains and pumping

bores. It would run from Lake Dumbleyung

and the Wagin Lakes and join other canal

systems draining saline land in the upper

reaches of the Blackwood River. The canals

would collect and carry saline water away

from these areas and provide an opportunity

for effective renovation of previously

waterlogged and salt affected land.

From the Beaufort River Flats, the main canal

will be directed towards Collie.Once near

Collie the water will be transported in lined

canals or piped to a point just south of the

Wellington Dam where it will be stored in a

one million cubic metre dam approximately

220 metres above sea level.

W H A T U S E I S S A L I N E

W A T E R ?

The significance of this engineering scheme is

the added value component of using the

saline water as feedstock for a hydro-electric

plant located at the foot of the Darling Scarp.

In this context, the saline water has an

economic value.

Scientists estimate that this solution will

remove approximately 400 million cubic

metres of saline water from the Wheatbelt

each year over a distance of some 200

kilometres. This, in turn, would ensure an

annual generating capacity of between 15-20

megawatts of clean hydro-electric power.

That is enough power for 4500-6000 homes

for a year! Once this saline water has helped

to create electricity, it will be discharged out

to sea.

Lake Dumbleyung

iv SALINITY CRIS IS ACTION PLAN

v

Salinity and land degredation have been

identified by both State and Federal

Governments as the biggest single

environmental issue problem facing Australia

today.

T H E S T A T I S T I C S A R E

H O R R I F Y I N G !

• In Western Australia it is estimated that

we are losing 11.4 hectares to salinity

every hour. That amounts to 100,000

hectares every year and increasing.

• Over the past ten years the area of land

affected by salinity has grown from one

million hectares to two million hectares.

W H A T C A N W E D O T O

A R R E S T T H I S

D E G R A D A T I O N ?

Salinity is a whole community issue. No one

group of people can fight it on their own.

It is too late to apportion blame – what we

need is action. Action by governments,

communities and individuals.

Tree planting has been put forward as the

solution but 60-90% of cleared land must be

covered in trees to deal with the water. This is

socially and economically unacceptable.


W I L L I T W O R K ?

David Williamson, Salinity Consultant and

former Research Scientist with the CSIRO,

has reviewed the extensive research done

into the salinity problem over the last 50

years. This illustrates that this proposal can

work in principle. (See report One)

Johnathon Thomas and David Williamson

have studied the economic factors which

affect the justification to invest in

rehabilitation of saline land using drainage and

ocean disposal of drainage water.

(See report two) They have found that the

restoration of saline land to full agricultural

land use provides the economic returns

needed to support the implementation of

engineering methods.

W H A T C A N W E D O ?

In order for this project to succeed, it requires

broad community support. That means:

• individual farmers and catchment groups

being willing to commit themselves to

this engineering solution on their land

and working with their neighbours to

ensure maximum effectiveness for

drainage and effluent disposal.

• shires and councillors being prepared to

promote the benefits of such a scheme

to their constituents and committing the

necessary resources both in terms of

labour and knowledge to the Project

Team;

• willingness on the part of State and

Federal Governments to support a

feasibility study of the use of

engineering solutions to rectify and

rehabilitate existing salt affected land.

W H E R E C A N I G E T M O R E

I N F O R M A T I O N ?

Peter Coyne,

Agritech Hydropower

3 Curtin Grove

Bentley W.A. 6102

Tel: (08) 9258 8188

Fax: (08) 9258 8199

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.agritech.hydropower.com

Encroaching Salinity

vi SALINITY CRIS IS ACTION PLAN

vii

A R e c o m m e n d a t i o n

C U T T I N G I N T O T H E S A LT

P R O B L E M

Western Australia’s salinity problem is one of

the world’s great environmental disasters.

Solutions to it involve massive reafforestation

of the Wheatbelt. Peter Coyne’s engineering

solution is to cut into the centre of the

problem and drain out the excess salty water.

Like the Dawsville Cut was able to reverse

the pollution of the Peel Inlet, this engineering

proposal offers the basis of a solution to

Western Australia’s salinity problem. It does

not mean reafforestation and other changes

to agricultural practise are unnecessary, they

are all needed as part of the total solution. But

the Coyne Cut is the visionary backbone to

reverse the irreversible.

Professor Peter Newman

Murdoch University, July 1999.


N

Narrogin (S)

BalingupDonnybrook-

Narrogin (T)

Williams

KulinWickepin

Dumbleyung

Kent

Gnowangerup

West Arthur

Wagin

Woodanilling Katanning

BroomehillBoyup Brook Kojonup

GreenbushesBridgetown-

RiverMargaretAugusta- Nannup

Busselton

BLACKWOOD CATCHMENT BOUNDARY

LOWER BLACKWOOD CATCHMENT

UPPER BLACKWOOD CATCHMENT

Dumbleyung

Nyabing

Balingup

BridgetownNannup

c Penguin Books Australia Ltd 2002

PERTH

Fremantle

Kwinana

Rockingham

GraceLake

Corrigin

Dudinin

Beverley

Pingelly

Cuballing

Brookton

Pinjarra

Waroona

Harvey

Narrogin

Mandurah

Cranbrook

Katanning

Albany

Mount Barker

Gnowangerup

Duranillin

Denmark

Manjimup

Kojonup

Bunbury

Busselton

Wagin

Collie

O C E A N

I N D I A N

S O U T H E R N O C E A N

403020

SCALE

50 km100

PenguinBooks

Australia Ltd

2002

Upper and Lower BlackwoodCatchment showing

Shire Boundaries

Map 1

Page viii

N

Bunbury

Mandurah

Busselton

Australind

Collie

Vasse

Coolup

Hamel

Yarloop

Benger

Wokalup

North Pinjarra

CapelDonnybrook

Bridgetown

Harvey

Kojonup

Wagin

Boddington

Pinjarra

Waroona

Singleton

Narrogin

Katanning

Augusta

Mount Barker

Manjimup

Gelorup

Stratham

BrookGreenbushes

UPPER CATCHMENT BOUNDARY

LOWER CATCHMENT BOUNDARY

JunctionBrunswick

Waterloo

Burekup

Dardanup

INTERCEPTOR CANALS

HYDRO POWER STATION

TRANSFER CANAL ROUTE

Grace

Gnowangerup

Kulin

Lake

BalingupBoyup

Williams

Dwellingup

Cuballing

Pingelly

Wickepin

Nannup

Boyanup

Binningup Beach

Preston Beach

Dumbleyung

Kondinin

Pemberton

Cranbrook

Darkan

Quindanning

Allanson

Bannister

Marradong

Crossman

WanderingPopanyinning

Harrismith

Tincurrin

Toolibin

Highbury

Piesseville

ArthurRiver

Borden

Woodanilling

Jingalup

Roelands

ShottsBuckingham

Bowelling

Mumballup

WilgaGrimwade

MuradupKulikup

Dinninup

Mayanup

Palgarup

Deanmill

Jardee


Ongerup

PingrupNyabing

Kukerin

Jitarning

Karlga

P

Duranillin

Boscabel

Dudinin

Yealering

Mullalyup

Kirup

Myalup

Lake Clifton

Dawesville

Broomehill

Frankland

HWY

SOUTHERN

GREAT

HWY

WES

TERN

SOUT

H

HWY

VASSE

HWY

BROCKMAN

HWY

WESTERN

SOUTH

HWY

ALBANY

ALBANY

HWY

O C E A N

I N D I A N

FlagstaffLake

NorringLake

Rive

r

Arthu

r

River

Blackw

ood

River

Harvey

River

Donnelly

Rive

r

Avon

River

Pallinup

Rive

r

Gordon

River

Murray

DumbleyungLake

River

Blackwood

River

Tone

River

Kalgan

LakeGraceNorth

River

Collie

River

Collie

DamWellington

Dam

LogueBrook

DamStirling

DamDandalup

South

SouthGraceLake

JilakinLake

Geographe

Bay

PeelInlet

Cape Beaufort

Cape Leeuwin

e Jewel Cave

40 km3020100

SCALE

Penguin BooksAustralia Ltd

2002

BLACKWOOD SALINITY AND HYDRO PROJECTCANAL ROUTES - OPTION A

Map 2

Page ix

65 km

40 km

72 km

70 km

25 km

Blackwood RiverCatchment

Collie RiverCatchment

Preston RiverCatchment

Collie RiverCatchment

N

Bunbury

McAlinden

Collie Burn

CardiffCollie

Leschenault

Eaton

Australind

Collie

Cordering

Hillman

Boolading

Lowden

Benger

CapelDonnybrook



Stratham

Picton

DRAINAGE CANAL ROUTE (Option A)

JunctionBrunswick

Waterloo

Burekup

Dardanup

HYDRO POWER STATION

Balingup

Boyup Brook

Boyanup

Binningup Beach

Worsley

Darkan


Allanson

Roelands

Shotts

Buckingham Bowelling

Mumballup

WilgaGrimwade

KulikupDinninup

Duranillin

Mullalyup

Kirup

RD

BROOK

BOYUP

DONNYBROOK

COALFIELDS

RD

RD

COALFIELDS

RD

COASTOLD

HWY

BUSS

ELL

HWY

HWY

WESTERN

HWY

WES

TERN

SOUT

H

VASSE

SOUTH

I N D I A N

O C E A N

River

Blac

kwoo

d

River

Preston

River

Capel

River

Brunswick

River

Collie

River

Collie

DamWellington

SCALE

20 km151050


2002

BLACKWOOD SALINITY AND HYDRO PROJECTMAIN TRANSFER CANAL ROUTE

Map 3

Page x

N

Boddington

Kojonup

Wagin

Narrogin

Katanning

Brook

Gnowangerup

Boyup

CuballingWickepin



IMPACTED BY SALINITYFLAT VALLEY FLOORS LARGELY

GraceLake

Williams

Dumbleyung

Quindanning

Marradong

Crossman

Jingalup

Buckingham

Bowelling

Dinninup

Mayanup

Ongerup

Jitarning

Darkan

Harrismith

Tincurrin

Toolibin

Highbury

Piesseville

ArthurRiver

Woodanilling

Muradup

Kulikup

PingrupNyabing

Kukerin

Duranillin

Boscabel

Dudinin

Broomehill


NRE

HTU

O S

ALBANY

ALBANY

HWY

GREAT

HWY

HWY

River

Murray

River

FlagstaffLake

NorringLake

River

Arthu

r

Black

wood

DumbleyungLake

LakeGraceNorth

SouthGraceLake

20 km15105

SCALE

0


2002

BLACKWOOD SALINITY AND HYDRO PROJECTSALINE VALLEY FLOORS

Map 4

Page xi

environmental best practice salinity crisis · • damien demaj and astrid at penguin cartography...

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