A Conceptual Hydrogeological Model for the Lake Warden Recovery Catchments Esperance, Western Australia
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Research Library Resource management technical reports Natural resources research 1-5-2000 A conceptual hydrogeological model for the Lake Warden recovery catchments Esperance, Western Australia R Short Follow this and additional works at: https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/rmtr Part of the Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Fresh Water Studies Commons, Hydrology Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Soil Science Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Recommended Citation Short, R. (2000), A conceptual hydrogeological model for the Lake Warden recovery catchments Esperance, Western Australia. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia, Perth. Report 200. This report is brought to you for free and open access by the Natural resources research at Research Library. It has been accepted for inclusion in Resource management technical reports by an authorized administrator of Research Library. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ISSN 0729-3135 May 2000 A Conceptual Hydrogeological Model for the Lake Warden Recovery Catchments, Esperance WA Prepared by: Rod Short Catchment Hydrology Group Agriculture Western Australia Esperance Agricultural Centre Resource Management Technical Report 200 Prepared for the National Land and Water Resource Audit Dryland Salinity Theme - Project 3 A CONCEPTUAL HYDROGEOLOGICAL MODEL FOR THE LAKE WARDEN RECOVERY CATCHMENTS Acknowledgments This work was funded by the National Land and Water Resources Audit, as part of Theme 2 - Dryland Salinity, Project 3 - Catchment Groundwater Modelling and Water Balance. The results from the modelling will be published in the following document: Assessment of Salinity Management Options for Lake Warden Catchments, Esperance WA: Groundwater and Crop Water Balance Modelling The input and assistance of the following people is gratefully acknowledged: Brendan Nicholas, John Simons, Stephen Gee and David Hall and other colleagues within Agriculture Western Australia and the CSIRO for discussions and comment on geological and hydrological processes in the Esperance region. Also, landholders in the Lake Warden Catchments for their cooperation and assistance in completing the many projects that have increased our knowledge and understanding of the district. Rod Short Agriculture WA, Esperance Ramsis Salama, Daniel Pollock, Piotr Kin and Tom Hatton CSIRO Land and Water, Perth, WA Warren Bond, Zahra Paydar, Hamish Cresswell and Mat Gilfedder CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, ACT Andrew Moore, Richard Simpson, Libby Salmon and Adam Stefanski CSIRO Plant Industry, Canberra, ACT Merv Probert, Neil Huth, Don Gaydon and Brian Keating CSIRO Tropical Agriculture, Indooroopilly, QLD National Land and Water Resources Audit Theme 2 - Dryland Salinity Project 3 - Catchment Groundwater Modelling and Water Balance Copyright notice Chief Executive Officer of Department of Agriculture 2000. Information in this document may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise without a written permission form. Intellectual Property Management Committee Agriculture Western Australia Locked Bag 4 BENTLEY DELIVERY CENTRE WA 6983 Important disclaimer In relying on or using this document or any advice or information expressly or impliedly contained within it, you accept all risks and responsibility for loss, injury, damages, costs and other consequences of any kind whatsoever resulting directly or indirectly to you or any other person from your doing so. It is for you to obtain your own advice and conduct your own investigations and assessments of any proposals that you may be considering in light of your own circumstances. Further, the State of Western Australia, the Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Agriculture, the Agriculture Protection Board, the authors, the publisher and their officers, employees and agents: • do not warrant the accuracy, currency, reliability or correctness of this document or any advice or information expressly or impliedly contained within it; and • exclude all liability of any kind whatsoever to any person arising directly or indirectly from reliance on or the use of this document or any advice or information expressly or impliedly contained within it by you or any other person. A CONCEPTUAL HYDROGEOLOGICAL MODEL FOR THE LAKE WARDEN RECOVERY CATCHMENTS CONTENTS Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1 Regional physiography ........................................................................................... 2 Climate ......................................................................................................... 2 Physiography and land systems ....................................................................... 3 Soils and farming systems ................................................................................ 5 Surface drainage .............................................................................................. 8 Geology ......................................................................................................... 9 Hydrogeology .................................................................................................... 9 Salinisation models - National classification ................................................... 10 Description of hydrogeological zones ............................................................... 11 Conceptual model...................................................................................................... 22 Geology and hydrology ..................................................................................... 22 Key discharge and recharge areas ................................................................... 26 Hydrograph responses ..................................................................................... 27 References ................................................................................................................ 28 Appendices ............................................................................................................... 29 Appendix 1. Design files and documentation of maps and cross-sections .... 29 Appendix 2. Land systems and soil groups ................................................... 30 Appendix 3. Groundwater systems responsible for dryland salinity in the Esperance region .................................................................... 33 Appendix 4. Hydrogeological and landform attributes for zones within the Lake Warden Catchments ...................................................... 37 Appendix 5. Cross-sections A-A’, B-B’ and C-C’ ........................................... 39 Appendix 6. Location of monitoring bores along Transects 1 to 3 ................. 43 Appendix 7. Attributes of monitoring bores located along Transects 1 to 3 .. 44 Appendix 8. Transect cross-sections ............................................................. 45 Appendix 9. AGWEST bores in each hydrogeological zone ......................... 48 A CONCEPTUAL HYDROGEOLOGICAL MODEL FOR THE LAKE WARDEN RECOVERY CATCHMENTS Introduction The National Land and Water Resource Audit (NLWRA), has identified Dryland Salinity as one of seven major themes for an audit of the nation’s land, water, vegetation and natural resource management. Within this theme, Project 3 has been developed to investigate a key catchment type and how management scenarios will impact on dryland salinity processes. The Lake Warden catchments have been chosen as one of four catchment water balance studies to be undertaken nationally. The catchment water balance analysis will be undertaken using numerical modelling by the CSIRO, Division of Land and Water. Four surface water catchments, Neridup Creek, Bandy Creek, Coramup Creek and the Western Lakes catchments feed the Lake Warden System wetlands (Figure 1). These catchments cover have an area of approximately 157,000 hectares. The system of wetlands is one of nine wetland areas in Western Australia recognised as Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention (CALM 1997). The catchments have also been given recovery catchment status under the State Governments Salinity Action Plan. Increased run-off and rising watertables resulting from the clearing of agricultural land along with encroaching urban development is having a direct impact on the wetlands. As Recovery catchments under the Salinity Action Plan, communities within the Lake Warden catchments are receiving a high level of funding and priority access to Catchment Support Teams for catchment planning aimed primarily at protecting biodiversity. Included in this report are descriptions of the physiography of the region and detailed descriptions of five hydrogeological zones identified within the Esperance agricultural region that cover the Lake Warden catchments (Figure 3). Each zone can be further divided by rainfall isohyets that can represent broad changes in agricultural practices. Finally a conceptual model of the hydrogeology is developed for input into the catchment water balance model being undertaken by the CSIRO. The model will assist in regional planning and development, catchment and farm planning, insight into the limits of agricultural management options and for local extension to the farming and district