Water management

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development supports dryland and irrigated industries by providing information on best practice water management in dryland and irrigated farming systems. This includes information on rainfall-runoff capture, storage and use, and management systems to prevent land degradation.

Support and knowledge on practices for irrigation as well as planning and design tools, to support farmers manage water in a changing climate, are being continually updated. Our work complements the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s Rural Water Planning Program, which offers incentive schemes, grants, planning and technical services, emergency water arrangements, and information on best practice water supply improvements.

Articles

WaterSmart Farms – Water Security and Resilience in a Drying Climate

10 February 2021

The WaterSmart Farms project will support adoption of on-farm desalinisation plants in agricultural regions, to process brackish groundwater into a suitable resource for livestock, crop agronomy an
Water quality for livestock

3 December 2014

Measure water quality and quantity to effectively plan and monitor water supplies for livestock.
Land drainage and the Soil and Land Conservation Act, Western Australia

11 December 2013

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) carries out the requirements of the Soil and Land Conservation Act 1945 to mitigate and prevent land degradation throu
Water erosion in the south-west of Western Australia

15 November 2013

The averaged annual direct cost of water erosion to dryland farming in Western Australia is estimated to be $10 million, but the costs are much higher in years of severe summer storms.
Desilting dry dams in Western Australia

17 February 2015

Silt washed into farm dams (excavated earth tanks) reduces storage volume, increases the chance of algal blooms and increases the proportion of water lost to evaporation.
Managing subsurface water in Western Australia

17 July 2015

Managing subsurface water can help to lower watertables and alleviate problems with waterlogging, rising salinity, and infrastructure damage.
Open groundwater drains in Western Australia

11 November 2013

Open groundwater drains are excavated channels with sloping floors and sides, designed to intercept and drain surface (usually fresh) and groundwater (usually saline in Western Australia) from agri
Rainwater tanks in Western Australia

10 August 2016

Rainwater run-off from a roof can provide clear, soft and low-salinity water.
Clearing cloudy or coloured water on farms in Western Australia

29 January 2019

Cloudy or coloured water can be a nuisance when used for household purposes, and sometimes be unsuitable for livestock, irrigation or crop spraying.
Natural sequence farming (NSF) in the south-west agricultural zone of Western Australia – a review

29 November 2021

Natural sequence farming (NSF) is an approach developed by Peter Andrews on his property – Tarwyn Park in New South Wales – for restoring degraded land .