MURRAY IRRIGATION LIMITED Compliance Report 2005/06 Chapter 5: Murray Land and Water Management Plans
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Murray Irrigation Limited A.C.N. 067 197 933 MURRAY IRRIGATION LIMITED COMPLIANCE REPORT 2005/06 Compliance Report 2005/06 MURRAY IRRIGATION LIMITED 1 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Supply Management ............................................... 4 Diversions Deliveries and Losses..................................................................... 4 Irrigation Water Quality ...................................................................................... 5 Supply Refurbishment & Review ...................................................................... 5 Telemetry ............................................................................................................. 7 Water Trade.......................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 2: Stormwater Management...................................... 10 Water Quality Analysis ..................................................................................... 10 Pesticide Monitoring......................................................................................... 20 Chemical Use for Weed Control ...................................................................... 21 Blue-Green Algae Monitoring .......................................................................... 22 Impact on Receiving Waterways ..................................................................... 23 Pumping Drainage Water into Supply Channels ........................................... 26 Noxious Aquatic Weeds ................................................................................... 26 Chapter 3: Groundwater Management ................................... 27 Wakool Tullakool Subsurface Drainage Scheme........................................... 27 Other Tubewell Pumping .................................................................................. 30 Trends in Regional Watertable Levels ............................................................ 30 Chapter 4: On-Farm Management .......................................... 36 Climatic Conditions .......................................................................................... 36 Landuse ............................................................................................................. 37 Irrigation Layout................................................................................................ 38 Water Use........................................................................................................... 38 Total Farm Water Balance ................................................................................ 42 Rice Water Use .................................................................................................. 42 Risk of Salinity .................................................................................................. 43 Rootzone Salinity .............................................................................................. 44 Waterlogging ..................................................................................................... 44 Farm Water Use Efficiency ............................................................................... 44 Adoption of Best Management Practices ....................................................... 46 Soil Acidity (Benchmark).................................................................................. 46 Status of Native Vegetation .............................................................................. 46 Socioeconomic Status...................................................................................... 46 Community Understanding of Best Management Practices ........................ 46 2 MURRAY IRRIGATION LIMITED Compliance Report 2005/06 Chapter 5: Murray Land and Water Management Plans ....... 47 LWMP Implementation ...................................................................................... 47 Reporting the LWMP Implementation Figures ............................................... 52 Berriquin LWMP ................................................................................................ 53 Cadell LWMP ..................................................................................................... 57 Denimein LWMP ................................................................................................ 64 Wakool LWMP.................................................................................................... 70 Murray LWMP R&D Program............................................................................ 74 Stormwater Escape Construction ................................................................... 85 APPENDICES ............................................................................ 89 Appendix One: Benchmark and Compliance Index ...................................... 90 Appendix Two: Pesticide Summary ................................................................ 92 Appendix Three: Compliance Report Issues 2004/05....................................94 Appendix Four: Published Documents .......................................................... 95 Appendix Five: Landholder Chemical Usage Report .................................... 96 Appendix Six: Stormwater Escape Additional Information .......................... 97 Appendix Seven: Murray LWMP Annual Landholder Survey ..................... 101 Appendix Eight: Ecowise Environmental Report ........................................ 106 Compliance Report 2005/06 MURRAY IRRIGATION LIMITED 3 Chapter 1: Supply Management Diversions Deliveries and Losses The water available to Murray Irrigation in 2005/06 was 1,567,893ML including 979,901ML of annual allocation. Table 1.1 shows monthly diversions, deliveries and losses. Figure 1.1 shows a breakdown of the water available, water diverted and credited escape releases during 2005/06. Table 1.1: Summary of Diversions, Deliveries and Losses (ML) by month Diverted (ML) Delivered (ML) Loss (ML) August 34,034 1,081 32,953 September 91,893 69,929 21,964 October 122,500 105,244 17,256 November 96,920 61,544 35,376 December 193,713 155,351 38,362 January 207,631 179,596 28,035 February 133,017 114,289 18,728 March 203,444 181,779 21,665 April 110,365 94,523 15,842 May -15,619 21,702 -37,321 Totals 1,177,898 985,038 192,860 Gross Diversions Resource Available Net Diversions Total Delivered 1,642,345ML 1,567,893ML 1,177,898ML 985,038ML Carried over 2004/05 345,317ML (Mulwala Canal, Wakool Canal) Allocation 2005/06 979,901ML Supplementary Water 50,470ML Escape Credits Net Transfers 93,474ML Conveyance Loss Escape Volume Snowy Advance 98,731ML 192,860ML Edward River 398,956ML 16% of Net Diversion Finley Escape 34,608ML Wakool River 25,781ML Yallakool Creek 5,102ML Carryover 2006/07 Pericoota Escape 0ML 389,995ML Figure 1.1: Diversions and Deliveries Flow Chart 2005/06 Determining supply efficiency Irrigation supply efficiency is measured in terms of the net water delivered on farm expressed as a percentage of the water diverted. Table 1.2 shows the water available to the Murray Irrigation area of operation and the delivery efficiency for the period 2001/02 to 2005/06, defined by: Supply = Water Delivered x 100 Efficiency Water Diverted 1 Table 1.2: Delivery efficiency of Murray Irrigation operations 2001/02-2005/06 Year Diversions Deliveries Loss Murray Irrigation Efficiency (ML) (ML) (ML) Announced Allocation (%) (%) 2001/02 1,509,356 1,239,536 270,356 86 82 2002/03 529,329 399,740 129,589 8 76 2003/04 855,675 658,608 197,067 45 77 2004/05 834,784 651,240 183,544 42 78 2005/06 1,177,898 985,038 192,860 56 84 Average 981,408 786,832 197,468 47 79 Max 1,509,356 1,239,536 270,356 86 84 Min 529,329 399,740 129,589 8 76 4 MURRAY IRRIGATION LIMITED Compliance Report 2005/06 Irrigation Water Quality The quality of irrigation water (salinity and total phosphorus levels) delivered to Murray Irrigation is monitored at number of sites by different agencies. The quality of water at Yarrawonga Weir (Lake Mulwala) is measured by Goulburn-Murray Water at the weir headwall on the Murray River, the Mulwala Offtake is located on Lake Mulwala. Murray Irrigation monitors water diverted back into the Edward River from the Mulwala Canal at the Edward River Escape. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) measures the water quality in Stevens Weir on the Edward River. In 2004/05 DNR ceased measuring total phosphorus levels at Stevens Weir. The results for 2005/06 are shown in table 1.3. Table 1.3: Quality of Irrigation Supply Water 2005/06 Murray River @ Yarrawonga Edward River at Mulwala Escape into Weir Stevens Weir Edward River (409029) (2) (head gauge) (409216)(1) (409023) (3) Total Total Salinity (EC) Phosphorus Salinity (EC) Phosphorus Salinity (EC) (mg/L) (mg/L) Range 50 - 75 0.017 - 0.064 48 - 66 0.001-0.057 41 -91 Average 57 0.034 57 0.015 62 Median 56 0.032 57 0.008 60 Source: (1) G- M Water (2) Murray Irrigation (3) DNR Blue-Green Algae in the Supply System Historically, blue-green algae have not affected the Murray River between the Hume Dam and Lake Mulwala. However in 2002/03 the record low levels in the Hume Dam resulted in blue-green algae blooms in the Hume Dam and these were transported downstream to Lake Mulwala and the Murray Irrigation supply system. In 2005/06 blue-green algae was detected in Lake Mulwala at low levels and this was transferred through the supply system. Supply Refurbishment & Review In 2005/06 Murray Irrigation, as per the asset renewal program, carried out works such as replacement