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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.
SALINITY CRIS IS ACTION PLAN
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.
SALINITY CRIS IS ACTION PLAN
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
c Penguin Books Australia Ltd 2002
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
LOWER BLACKWOOD CATCHMENT
UPPER BLACKWOOD CATCHMENT
Stratham
Picton
DRAINAGE CANAL ROUTE (Option A)
JunctionBrunswick
Waterloo
Burekup
Dardanup
HYDRO POWER STATION
Balingup
Boyup Brook
Boyanup
Binningup Beach
Worsley
Darkan
c Penguin Books Australia Ltd 2002
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
Penguin BooksAustralia Ltd
2002
BLACKWOOD SALINITY AND HYDRO PROJECTMAIN TRANSFER CANAL ROUTE
Map 3
Page x
N
Boddington
Kojonup
Wagin
Narrogin
Katanning
Brook
Gnowangerup
Boyup
CuballingWickepin
LOWER BLACKWOOD CATCHMENT
UPPER BLACKWOOD CATCHMENT
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
c Penguin Books Australia Ltd 2002
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
Penguin BooksAustralia Ltd
2002
BLACKWOOD SALINITY AND HYDRO PROJECTSALINE VALLEY FLOORS
Map 4
Page xi