Investigating the competing needs for water -
Abstract
The Moorabool River catchment covers an area of approximately 2000 km² extending from the Great Dividing Range near Ballarat to the Barwon River, south west of Geelong. Water in the catchment is drawn upon for many uses, including supply to the major urban centres of Ballarat and Geelong, groundwater pumping largely for irrigation, interception by farm dams and surface water private diversions. The lack of water available for users and the environment during the recent drought period has highlighted the significant level of stress in this river. As part of the National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality, a water resource investigation was carried out to better understand current impacts, including the impact of farm dams and groundwater surface water interaction, and to investigate ways to enhance environmental flows while minimising socio-economic impacts. This paper describes the unexpected findings on the current level of user impact, the testing of options to enhance environmental flows, and a Multi-Criteria Analysis of the assessed options.
Authors
Kate Austin - Water Resources Engineer, Sinclair Knight Merz
Dr Michael Shirley - Senior Ecologist, Sinclair Knight Merz
Dr Richard Evans - Senior Hydrogeologist, Sinclair Knight Merz
Peter Erlanger - Senior Water Resources Engineer, Sinclair Knight Merz
Simone Wilkinson - Waterway Management Officer, Corangamite Catchment Management Authority