Heres a gully near Manjimup flowing and a similar one in forest. We are testing new GeoMap tool to find fractures in the bedrock. Test drilling should finish ANZAC day, between Eastern Wheatbelt and Lower SW. Results looking good. #WaterSmartfarms . DPIRD - Horticulture WA DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock

No wonder the Yornup Hall was full this week. Spirited but positive discussion from my vantage at the back of a packed hall. Lowest decile 6 months on record from CliMate - a very good tool if you haven’t used it

SW total rainfalls as low as 3mm in 6 months are impacting water resources, forest reserves and farm bush between Perth & Pemberton, especially on shallow soils

How variable this year’s winter. Last Tuesday 90mm fell in a few hours, raising the Diversion drain trickle to 30kL/sec, and as designed inundating part of old Vasse Research Station and activating one of 3 flood control basins. 10km the other basin was barely flowing. #winter23

So far much of the far South of WA farmlands have been well watered by uncle SAM, but with models forecasting it’s likely going positive again. DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock Nik Callow

Let’s look back in 3-4 months and see how the Aus and European rainfall forecasts (20-30%) actually pan out?DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock Nik Callow

#WaterSmartFarms highest yield fractured rock bore, with about 10L/sec or safely well over 500 tonnes/day, of 4400 mg/L from 84m. Not properly tested yet but encouraging results from a large fault near Kojonup DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock Nik Callow

#WaterSmartFarms fractured rock drilling has completed its first program using regional and field geophysics to locate yields of 1-10 L/sec of groundwater in 66% of bores to 110m. Water suitable for direct use and desalination. Nik Callow DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock

Visited 20+ years old siphon south of Kojonup dewatered midslope saline seep, running 1l/sec at 6000mg/L (same as creek) and recovered vegetation as well. A good story for science and salinity. ⁦DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock⁩

Waterlogging control for cropping using imported USA gps control machine. Demo at Capel field day today. Installed 100mm drain coil pipe to about 1m. Thanks ⁦Rob Bell⁩

The first #WaterSmart Farms desalination unit arrived in Dumbleyung today to begin supplying 10kL/day emergency water and lower water tables in town. Great research and operational partnership now underway.

⁦After 20 years ⁦DPIRDWA⁩ & CSIRO show salinity is ~1.75M ha of 24M ha region. Recent & past surveys underestimated land affected. With watertables rising despite recent dry decade, more salt expected. Dissected landscapes have stabilised. ⁦ library.dpird.wa.gov.au/lr_publishedrp…

Minister MacTiernan announced Katanning, Merredin and Dumbelyung would receive #WaterSmartFarms funds to install trial desalination systems to help with drought resilience and watertables at a field day near Kojonup ⁦DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock⁩ ⁦SouthernDIRT⁩ ⁦Grower Group Alliance⁩

Minister MacTiernan announced Katanning, Merredin, Dumbleyung would receive #WaterSmartFarms funds to install desal systems at a field day at Bilneys Crossburn farm, where 4 generations showed one of 2 units used to drought proof their 30,000 sheep system ⁦DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock⁩

Antarctic ice-core research defines teleconnections with past and current drought patterns in WA's wetter South-West. Interesting it supports tree ring data for the Wheatbelt released in 2021. Both note the recent SW dry has an extra human finger print! abc.net.au/news/2022-07-0…

@WaterSmartFarms @SmartDams using our prototype dam locator at Jerramungup showing large roaded catchments that delivered water throughout last decade while farms around carted water ⁦DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock⁩ ⁦Grower Group Alliance⁩ with ⁦Nik Callow⁩

@WaterSmartFarms @SmartDams with UWA Nik Callow and WaterCorp colleagues reviewing hexagon evaporation control systems as we plan wheatbelt water trials and demonstrations ⁦Grower Group Alliance⁩ ⁦DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock⁩

@WaterSmartFarms @SmartDams with UWA Nik Callow and WaterCorp colleagues at Borden today as <0.4mm light rain fell on a ~1ha catchment producting good flow while bitumen ran nothing ⁦Grower Group Alliance⁩ ⁦DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock⁩

WaterSmart Farms is a project that links WA Growers, 3 Universities, Industry and Government in a race to make WA farms resilient to dry seasons. Desal is one of three technologies being developed @WaterSmartFarms ⁦DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock⁩ farmweekly.com.au/story/7467037/…

Catchup on Desal news. Great article on adoption of technology to drought proof farms, while saving on water costs, herbicide and reducing saltland @WaterSmartFarms ⁦DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock⁩ farmweekly.com.au/story/7467032/…