Water Security

Water security is a key issue facing regional producers and landholders. In particular, for local graziers who rely on dam water for their livestock and don’t have access to mains water.  Water security has therefore become a ‘project priority’ for BIGG.

BIGG wants to investigate on-farm water security solutions for the region, to find opportunities and overcome challenges. This includes investigating, lined catchments, de-salination plants, improving property layout for reticulated water, sinking bores and fencing off watercourses for biodiversity.

Projects:

BIGG received separate funding to look at on-farm water security solutions from:

  • Northern and Yorke Landscape Board- November 2020
  • Australian Government’s National Landcare Program- June 2021
Lined Catchment on the Water Farm Tour at Dale Buttons March 2023

Report: Planning Farm Water Supplies – April 2022

As part of BIGGs Smart Farms Grant, PIRSA produced an extensive report for BIGG, covering the various water supply, capture, storage, reticulation, and monitoring options to consider on-farm. The report also includes various case studies.

Planning Farm Water Supplies Report

Case Studies

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BIGG's Water Planning Workshop - April 2021

What are the options and strategies you need to consider to help make your property ‘water secure’?

These were examined at a BIGG workshop, featuring PIRSA Officers, Mary-Anne Young and Brian Hughes and BIGG Technical Facilitator, Janie Evans.

BIGG's Water Catchment Workshop - September 2021

This workshop showcased how rainwater can be successfully harvested using an on-farm lined catchment. It featured representatives from the Coorong region, Tracey Stugnell and Mark Scobie (who have been at the forefront of this innovation), and local PIRSA soils expert Brian Hughes.

Surveys

Barossa New Water Project