VICTORIA Report of the SOIL CONSERVATION AUTHORITY for the Year ended 30 June 1980 Ordered by the Legislative Assembly to be printed MELBOURNE F D ATKlNSON GOVERNMENT PRINTER 1980 No. 65 Victoria 1981 378 Cotham Road, Kew, Victoria, 3101 THIRTY- FIRST ANNUAL REPORT 1979/80 Presented to both Houses of Parliament pursuant to Act. No. 6372 By authority F.D. Atkinson, Government Printer, Melbourne CHAIRMAN: A. MITCHELL, M.Agr.Sc., D.D.A. DEPUTY CHAIRMAN: D.N CAHI LL, B Agr.Sc., Dip. Ag. Ex. MEMBER: J.S.GI LMORE, J.P. AIMS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 3 THE AUTHORITY'S STRUCTURE 4 THE YEAR IN BRIEF 5 REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES 6 FIELD OPERATIONS 8 PUBLICATIONS, INFORMATION AND EXTENSION SERVICES 26 26 ADMINISTRATION APPENDICES 39 41 48 The Soil Conservation Authority is a • To ensure correct land use in water public statutory body established in 1950 supply catchments, with the object of and operates under the Soil Conservation protecting water quality and and Land Utilization Act 1958 and maintaining sustained yield. associated legislation. • To provide a service to landholders Three members, appointed by the which will ensure the efficient utilisation Governor-in-Council, manage the of "on-farm" water resources in areas Authority's overall activities. outside designated irrigation areas. The Authority reports to Parliament • To promote community awareness of through the Minister for Conservation. the need for soil conservation. The principal objective of the Authority is • To provide advice and co-ordinate the to achieve the adoption of soil-conserving policies and activities of government land use practices by all land users in the departments and public authorities on State. the alienation, occupation, care and use Specific aims are: of Crown lands to ensure that soil erosion does not occur. • To achieve correct systems of land use and management on all land in the • To control shallow extraction of soil, State so there is neither loss of soil nor sand and gravel, to ensure soil its fertility. protection during and after extraction. • To control erosion and reclaim eroded land. 3 4 The Authority's achievements during 1979/80 were: • Group Projects Works are in progress or have been completed in 99 areas covering 6,556 km2 and involving 2,482 landholders. • Financial Grants One hundred and twenty-nine grants totalling $92,800 were made to assist landholders and municipalities to complete erosion control works with a total value of $370,000. This is compared to 261 grants totalling $196,000 in the previous year. • Farm Water Supply A record 514 dams and 314 km of pipeline were surveyed to improve water supply facilities on farm property. • Controlling Erosion The Premier requested all organisations concerned with from Construction construction involving soil disturbance to apply the procedures Sites contained in the Authority manual "Guidelines for Minimising Soil Erosion and Sedimentation from Construction Sites in Victoria". • Dryland Salinity Exploratory deep drilling located saline groundwater under pressure at several locations indicating potential for the further spread of salting particularly after abnormally wet years. The area in Victoria severely affected by dryland salting is now estimated to be 90,000 ha. • Water Supply Four water supply catchments were proclaimed - Ballarat, Catchments Tullaroop, Tanjil and Brittania Creek to make a total of 65 proclaimed catchments. Proclamation alerts the community to the value of catchment lands for the production of water and the need to manage it accordingly. • Land Capability Twenty-four municipalities, regional planning authorities and Assessment the Department of Planning were provided with information on the physical characteristics of 11,000 km2 of land. This information forms a basis for planning future land use. • Coastal Twenty-six grants totalling $91,000 and representing Conservation completed work to the value of $455,000 were made to assist committees of management and departments with control of coastal erosion. Twenty-nine grant applications totalling $91 ,000 were deferred due to lack of funds. • Trees Sixty thousand trees were planted for erosion control. • Loans Loans totalling $492,000 were made to farmers for completing soil and water conservation programs, an increase of $138,000 on the previous year. • Economic Studies of A three-year project on economic studies of dryland salting Dryland Salting commenced at La Trobe University- the first of its kind in eastern Australia. 5 THE MINISTER member of the State Co-ordination During the year, the Minister for Council and is the Victorian Conservation, the Honourable Vasey representative of the Standing Committee Houghton, MLC, visited the Western on Soil Conse~vation. He is also Chairman District and the Mallee with Authority of the Thomson Stage Ill Committee and Members to inspect soil conservation convenor of the North-East Alpine Areas works. The Authority records its Working Group. appreciation for the ready availability of During the period 16 April to 5 May 1980, the Minister throughout the year. Mr. Mitchell visited China as leader of a two-man Australian Soil Conservation THE AUTHORITY Mission. This Mission was part of an The Chairman of the Authority, agricultural exchange program initiated Mr. A. Mitchell, serves as a member on a by the Prime Minister after a visit to China number of State instrumentalities. He is in 1976. Within China, the Mission was Deputy Chairman of the Land hosted by the Ministry for Water Conservation Council, a member of the Conservancy. Reports on the visit, to both Environment Protection Council, a Authority Members watching land capability data being fed through a computer terminal. From left: Mr. J.S. Gi/more (Member), Mr. A. Mitche/1 (Chairman) and Mr. D. N. Cahi/1 (Deputy Chairman). 6 the Victorian and Commonwealth Committee on Agriculture and the Governments, were subsequently Australian Agricultural Council, where prepared. resolutions of the 42nd meeting of the Mr. D. N. Cahill is Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee on Soil Conservation Authority. His responsibilities include soil were considered. Subsequently, the conservation and erosion-control Australian Agricultural Council approved programs, land capability investigations the recommendations. and extractive industry controls. He The 43rd meeting of the Standing represents the Authority on the Coastal Committee was a special meeting held in Management and Co-ordination Canberra on 6 February 1980, to consider Committee, the Extractive Activities Co­ research projects for inclusion in the ordination Committee and the Flood Plain proposed National Soil Conservation and River Management Committee of the Program. River Murray Commission. Three projects involving methods of Mr. J.S. Gilmore, Member, has evaluating soil loss prediction were responsibilities which include the endorsed and forwarded to the supervision of grants and loans made to Department of National Development in landholders for soil and water accordance with procedures agreed to by conservation, and of grants to other the Australian Agricultural Council. bodies for erosion control on foreshores and Crown land. He is also responsible for INTER-DEPARTMENTAL the Farm Water Supply service and the CO-OPERA 1"10N oversight of the 23 District Advisory Committees of the Authority. There is an obvious link between water and land use in catchments. He represents the Authority on the Natural Resources Conservation League and the Regular meetings have been held Victorian Irrigation Research Advisory between the State Rivers and Water Services Committee. Supply Commission and the Authority with the objective of increasing co­ The Authority expresses its appreciation operation to ensure there is no for the loyal and dedicated service given duplication of activities. Specific by its staff throughout the year. examples of co-operation between the two bodies are in dryland salting STANDING COMMITTEE ON SOIL investigations at Kamarooka and soils CONSERVATION investigations around Lake Tyrrell. A The 42nd meeting of the Standing similar program has been initiated with Committee on Soil Conservation was held the Forests Commission. in Alice Springs between 27 and 31 Also, to avoid overlap and to clarify August 1979. This included an inspection responsibilities, working arrangements in of soil conservation works in the Ord River relation to soil conservation are being catchment in the Northern Territory, formalised between the Authority and the severe erosion after uranium mining at Department of Crown Lands and Survey. Rum Jungle, and erosion control A similar arrangement is being developed measures to overcome wind erosion near with the National Parks Service. Alice Springs. The most important item considered was details of the proposed National Soil Conservation Program, including ways whereby recommendations for soil conservation research proposals would be evaluated. A research evaluation committee was formed to undertake this function. By invitation, Mr. Mitchell attended meetings in Melbourne during January/February 1980 of the Standing 7 2 GENERAL Conservation Areas, totalling 6,021.4 km , Advisory visits carried out during the year involving 2,391 landholders, have been totalled 10,490, of which 5,613 were to requested to date. Two new areas were land holders outside project areas, 1, 779 requested in 1979/80, and are currently to landholders within project areas, and being investigated. Works are in progress, or have been completed, in 86 3,098 for other departments