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

Last #WaterSmartfarms bedrock drill hole testing a new site selection model to find groundwater for Wheatbelt farmers. This hole drilled to 80m and airlifted 3-4 L/second at 2750mg/L, east of Narrogin. DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock Grower Group Alliance Nik Callow

Spent a few days in the southern Murchison last week talking rehydration, carbon and rangelands plus mapping geology and NO3 + alkaline aquifers. Amazing contrast from monitoring South-West in acid-saline eucalypt systems. Its called the Menzies line?

Just completed 80,000ha SkyTEM AEM survey of part of Great Southerns Beaufort palaeochannel to map water for future use by agricultural communities #WaterSmart Farms. Now we start interpreting results with CSIRO DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock

After this week up north working on Ord expansion, it’s apparent just how different an unregulated (Keep River) river is compared with the (larger) Ord below Lake Argyle, at Ivanhoe Crossing. Especially after a big wet season.

Two seasons in a week, dusty trip to Bonaparte to get a decade of data monitoring of Cockatoo sands in dry, then danced on black soils after storms rolled in down the Keep #Kimberleys @DPIRDWA

Talking desalination with Spanish company Sacyr & WaterCorp this week at 100GL RO plant near Myalup. Looking for lessons from industry that we can apply on our #WaterSmartFarms small RO systems. ⁦DPIRD Broadacre - WA Grains & Livestock⁩ ⁦@DPIRDWA⁩

Finally, some mud and winter view from the office window south of Hyden

Blackwood River at Nannup flowing strongly and saline off now wet farmland (~6000mgL) at early 2000s river level, but look at 1982 (high in tree), 1946 (below) and recently.

Managing salinity is long term, visited a multi-bore ~3L/sec pumping project Ive been involved with now +30 years on (two generations of effort) to see hectares of crop replacing patchy bare ground near Burakin. Water tables below 2m allowing leaching of excessive salt.

North of Kellerberrin a trial siphon has managed a 5ha saline hillside for over 20 years, with natural revegetation of 200m of creek lines downstream due to constant (35kL/d at 2000mS/m) flow. Discharges of groundwater need to be notified to ensure low impact (SLCAct).

Recharge control of low production, wind-scalloped leaky wodjil sandplain is possible with targeted plantings. This one is a private carbon model that mitigates much of the farms emissions and along the way has seen an amazing regeneration of nature

Not a dollar spent in 20 years as this and another line discharges dry sheep quality water from a hillside seep #gravitysiphoningsalt

Hear case studies on desalination, dam water capture and management, confinement feeding, natural capital and join the Q&A south of Boyup Brook on Wednesday 23 October ⁦Grower Group Alliance⁩ #DroughtHub ⁦Richard George⁩ ⁦Facey Group⁩ ⁦#FDF events.humanitix.com/preparing-for-…

Our 2nd largest reservoir after Lake Argyle, Wellington Dams water quality is now almost 1500mg/L, feeding hundreds of SW farms. After 50 years of testing revegetation is it time for tools like desalination?

⁦@DPIRDWA⁩ Water science team testing 2nd last bedrock drill hole (20 drilled) from Merredin to Manjimup (this site) to find water for agriculture. Yields average over 80kL/d from depths to 100m, stock quality or ready to Desal as part of #WaterSmartFarms

Last @WaterSmartFarm projects 89m deep bore being tested at 150,000 litres per day near Kojonup. Over 50% rate of success for bores of similar depth and salinity - from Merredin to Manjimup.

In Eyre Peninsular SA after long dry season talking desalination & looking at unconventional water sources. Seen several plastic sheeted catchments -2ha with 10 ML dams $100-200k built by #WaterSmart farmers Nik Callow

Last day with farmers in Eyre Peninsula at Warrminda with Joshua Telfer + 24 farmers talking water, salinity and WaterSmart farms. Impressive lined catchments being adopted to collect high quality and secure water despite availability of SAWater pipes nearby. Great group Nik Callow

Spent a few days measuring subsoil drains last few weeks, removing excess water from crops in GtSthn & SW, to understand opportunities for water management. Two examples running well after strong rains Nik Callow