Colin Creighton with Dr Shahbaz Khan

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Water for a Healthy Country
Unlocking systems - the key to sustainability
Food, Fish People

• Colin Creighton with Dr Shahbaz Khan Dr Rod
  Oliver
• Sustainable Water Management Conference
• ANU September 2005

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World Population Growth Key Driver
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Expansion in Global Irrigation Areas
In 2001, 40 of agricultural products and 60 of
grains were grown on irrigated land
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Food, Fish People

• An extra 1.5-2.0 billion people by 2025
• About 29 more irrigated land required by 2025
• Assuming gains in productivity and more efficient
  water use the increase in diversions to
  agriculture will be 18 IWMI
• A 8 decrease in the amount of water that should
  be diverted to irrigation over the next 25 years
  for fisheries / river estuary health
• The additional water for irrigated
  agriculture-food is about 625km3 of water or
  close to the amount of water (800km3) that is
  presently used globally for industrial and urban
  use
• We have a global responsibility

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Agronomic Challenge to Improve Water Productivity
3.8 tons/ha
1.7 tons/ha
After FAO
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Environmental Water Stress Crude Indicator of
Fisheries as Food Status
Indus Basin Pakistan
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The Science Challenge

• Our Thesis By better understanding the
  biophysical, economic and social systems we will
  be able to identify key pressure points for
  improved productivity
• Key Components
• Catchment Yield Quality Quantity Land Use
  Change
• Water Budgets, Use, Practice, Productivity
  Profitability
• Ecological Assets, Repair Needs Opportunities
• Institutional Context, Constraints
  Opportunities
• A work in progress..well underpinned by the
  Council of Australian Government continuous
  improvement in water policy.and with
  international applications

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Murray water benefit system
THE MURRAY REGION WATER BENEFIT SYSTEM
lever
water use
water benefit
rainfall
150,000 GL
upland catchments
dryland agriculture, forestry
water salt
groundwater
Riverine Plains irrigation
net returns
floodplains, river
2,500 GL
non-
8,000 GL
ecological outcomes

3,000 GL
Lower Murrayirrigation
Coorong, Lower Lakes and Mouth
All water has value in this system. How can we
use it more smartly to increase benefits?
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Murray Landscapes Water Benefits
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traveling down the valley
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- perhaps houseboating near Mildura
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or sampling SA wines
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- visiting the Lower Lakes
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cockles along the Murray beach
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Irrigated areas, Murray Basin
Pop 583,000 Irrigated farms 25,000 Irrigated
area 1.243m ha
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.with substantial water diversion
MDBC CAP on Diversions
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altered flow patterns at Albury
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Water diverted and delivered by region (2001/02)
Totals Water entitlements 7,734 GL
Groundwater 602 GL
Surface diversion 8,608 GL Water
delivered 6,656 GL
Irrigation requirement 8,367 GL Water
transpired 4,000 GL
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Irrigation application systems
Total ratio by area Surfacesprinklermicro 83
10 7
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Base Case Water Use Efficiency for the MIA
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Possible Improved Water Use Efficiency Scenario
for the MIA
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Murrumbidgee System Water Account (1991)
..finding water through accounting for flows,
losses uses
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.including channel leakage reconfiguration
One Channel Loses over 10 GL/yr
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Costs of Reducing Channel Losses
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Capital investment and total water savings -
irrigation technologies
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On-farmMurrumbidgee Coleambally Irrigation
Areas
Water Savings
Environmental Benefit
2.0 to 4.0 ML/ha
Converting Irrigation Systems
? subsurface drainage? surface drainage
0.1 to 3 ML/ha
Relocating rice to suitable locations
Increasing investment50 - 7,000 /ML
1 to 4 of supply
Lining on-farm channels
? accessions to watertable ? salinity
0.1 to 0.4 ML/ha
Laser levelling
0.2 to 2.5 ML/ha
Irrigation flow monitoring
? accessions to watertable
0.1 to 3 ML/ha
Soil ground water monitoring
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Off-farmMurrumbidgee Coleambally Irrigation
Areas
Environmental Benefit
Water Savings
reduction in recharge abatement cost
production and environmental benefits
Providing ecosystem services
10 to 30 increase in water security
promotion of water efficient community
Incentives for efficient water use
20 50 GL
Increasing investment 500 - 7,000 /ML
Reducing evaporation losses
? accessions to watertable ? salinity
15 70 GL
Piping channels
10 50 GL
? accessions to watertable
Sealing leaky channels
100 200 GL
match demand with supply
Closer monitoring and delivery
Monitoring and delivery
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Efficiencies in Murrumbidgee Irrigation AreaGL
2000/01
Total watersupply 1630
Shallow ground-water
Irrigation water (surface)
118
Current
1048
1419ET
87
Water use efficiency
Off-farm conveyance
90
91
95
946
Edge of farm
1,300,241tonnes
Irrigation water (groundwater)
88
On-farm conveyance
798t/GL
Water productivity
90
836
836
Edge offield
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89
Field efficiency
322m profit
95
1162
198K/GL
Economic return
439
Root zone
207
Rainfall
18
Applying project results
75 GL saved
14m profit
Regional groundwater
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SIX SIGNIFICANT ECOLOGICAL ASSETS FOR THE LIVING
MURRAY

• Sourcing and allocating water for the environment
• 500 GL within 5 years
• Six significant ecological assets based on
  remnant vegetation, internationally significant
  wetlands (Ramsar)
• River channel included
• Improve water delivery to enhance floodplain
  vegetation, bird and fish populations

Based on MDBC Web site Ministerial Council
Communique Nov 2003
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Interconnecting Aquatic System Framework



Floodplain inundation
Wetland inundation
Riparian inundation





Upland
Groundwater interactions


Floodplain
Wetland biotic
Floodplain biotic
Riparian biotic
Water yield
Out of channel discharge
Organic material delivery Nutrients
Salinity accessions

Littoral and Eulittoral
Water quality
Interface

Channel discharge
Decomposition
Channel
Channel hydrodynamics
Channel structure
Channel secondary biotic
Channel primary biotic

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River connections

• Channel
• Flow patterns
• Channel morphology
• Habitat

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River connections

• Channel
• Flow patterns
• Channel morphology
• Habitat

• Connectivity
• Hydrological
• Material exchange

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River connections

• Channel
• Flow patterns
• Channel morphology
• Habitat

• Floodplain Water Regime
• Frequency
• Timing
• Duration
• Depth

• Connectivity
• Hydrological
• Material exchange

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River connections

• Channel
• Flow patterns
• Channel morphology
• Habitat

• Floodplain Water Regime
• Frequency
• Timing
• Duration
• Depth

• Connectivity
• Hydrological
• Material exchange

• Wetland Water Regimes
• Geomorphology
• Duration

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River connections

• Channel
• Flow patterns
• Channel morphology
• Habitat

• Floodplain Water Regime
• Frequency
• Timing
• Duration
• Depth

• Connectivity
• Hydrological
• Material exchange

• Groundwater
• recharge
• Movement
• Salinity

• Wetland Water Regimes
• Geomorphology
• Duration

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River connections
Community Distributions Biotic response curves

• Primary Producers
• Secondary Producers
• Fish

• Floodplain vegetation
• Wetland vegetation
• Fauna

Biotic Outcomes

• Channel
• Flow patterns
• Channel morphology
• Habitat

• Floodplain Water Regime
• Frequency
• Timing
• Duration
• Depth

• Connectivity
• Hydrological
• Material exchange

• Groundwater
• Recharge
• Movement
• Salinity

• Wetland Water Regimes
• Geomorphology
• Duration

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Key Ecological Components all temporal
spatial challenges

• River channel structure, nutrient turnover and
  biota various flow regimes
• Ecological benefits of floods natural and
  induced
• Diversity and health of native floodplain
  vegetation
• Connectivity between floodplain and river
  habitats that maximises productivity
• Native fish abundance and birds scenarios,
  predictive capacity for population projections
  and habitat repair strategies
• Systems Complexities, Interactions Feedback
  Loops to Water Use, Water Benefits
  Institutional Settings a work in progress!

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Smart Solutions for Australias Water Issues
Thank you and questions?

• colin.creighton_at_csiro.au
• Sustainable Water Management Conference
• ANU September 2005