Community learning new skills to continue legacy
The Wellstead community is reinvigorating their local bore monitoring program with help from the department’s Esperance-based Research Officer John Simons.
After receiving State NRM Community Action Grant funding to monitor the local changing water table levels using district bores and piezometers, the Wellstead Progress Association partnered with the Wellstead Community Resource Centre (CRC) to run a training session on monitoring bores and measuring groundwater levels.
In late July, a training session, hosted by the Wellstead CRC, demonstrated how to clean out and renovate monitoring wells, measure groundwater levels and take a groundwater sample.
The aim of the monitoring network is to enable ground water levels and trends to be assessed to determine the future risk to agricultural productivity and evaluate the impact of different land management practices on groundwater levels.
The Wellstead groundwater monitoring program was originally installed by former department colleague, the late Arjen Ryder, and is considered a tribute and a continuation of his work.
The training sessions provided the opportunity for locals to get involved and learn about standard procedures for groundwater monitoring and sampling, enabling high quality data to be collected.
The 12 enthusiastic Wellstead community and South Coast NRM Green Army members appreciated the training opportunity, learning the skills to reinvigorate the groundwater monitoring program and continue Arjen’s legacy.
The groundwater assessment program was initiated in 1987 and the last sites installed to fill in gaps in the network were completed in 2008.
With active participation by locals, the groundwater monitoring program will continue to benefit the local community and state government.
The data collected by the community will be stored in the department’s AgBore database and will be available for future assessments.
For more information contact John Simons, Research Officer, Esperance, on +61 (0)8 9083 1128.