• Change text size
• Skip to content

National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality

Publications

• About us
• Contact us

Site navigation

• What is the National Action Plan?
• What can I do?
• Funding
• Market Based Instruments
• Projects
• Publications
  • Agreements
  • Annual Reports
  • Books and Reports
  • Brochures
  • Case Studies
  • Fact Sheets
  • Frameworks
  • Guidelines
  • Legislation
  • Media Releases
  • Newsletters
  • Policies
  • Strategies

PDF files

• Water supply and land use planning for sustainable water-efficient irrigation in the Murrumbidgee Valley - the Lake Wyangan case study - main report (PDF - 23459 KB)
• Water supply and land use planning for sustainable water-efficient irrigation in the Murrumbidgee Valley - the Lake Wyangan case study - appendices (PDF - 6730 KB)

About this report

The Lake Wyangan Project was commissioned by Pratt Water with the broad aim of assisting Murrumbidgee Irrigation Ltd (MI) in exploring current and future irrigation activity in the catchment in an Ecologically Sustainable Development context. The characteristics of the catchments and the activities undertaken provide a good case study for irrigation, water use, management and planning.

Lake Wyangan is located in the central northern section of the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and is immediately north of, and in close proximity to the City of Griffith. Griffith is situated some 450 kilometres north of Melbourne and approximately 660 kilometres west of Sydney.

Broad objectives of this study have been to:

• identify and understand the pressures on resources in the context of stakeholder responsibilities and expectations;
• identify alternative management options that will improve the efficiency of water use in the context of the identified catchment attributes; and
• develop a framework for assessment and implementation of feasible management options.

The specific objectives of this report are to:

1. Understand the constraints on, and responsibilities of stakeholders in the context of the functioning irrigation system within Lake Wyangan;
2. Document recent changes in land use, crop types and irrigation techniques that have occurred within the project area and the implications that these changes have for the current irrigation infrastructure;
3. Document the potential changes resulting from planned urban development in accordance with GCC’s GS2030 in the context of the existing irrigation infrastructure;
4. Assess the agronomic potential of soils in the project area to understand future agricultural potential of the area and to identify suitable alternative farming areas and crops that will provide a high economic yield per unit of water used;
5. Document the use and function of Lake Wyangan to explore its current and potential use as an irrigation water storage and to provide background for the development of Operational Guidelines for the Lake that will be developed at a later stage;
6. Understand the pressures on natural areas in the catchment such as Campbells and Nericon Swamps to the assist in the development of appropriate management options for these areas; and
7. Identify changes to irrigation infrastructure and water usage (including water savings) that may result from these changes. Explore economic and sustainable supply and use of irrigation water within the Lake Wyangan catchment.

This report aims to assist in documenting catchment attribute information necessary for future planning and identify measures that could be implemented to achieve more efficient ecologically sustainable provision and use of irrigation water in the Lake Wyangan catchment. This report also explores alternate means of supplying and distributing irrigation water in the catchment.