5.1 Research
and Development
This section describes the initiatives taken by CICL to
continually improve its operation. The
chapter includes research and development initiatives, CICL publications and
external and internal audits.
CICL
is committed to the continuous improvement of its customer services and to the
environmental and economic sustainability of the area. Currently CICL is providing financial and
in-kind assistance to three PhD projects.
These projects are being supervised by:
- The University of NSW
(UNSW),
- The University of
Wollongong (UW), and
- CSU in conjunction with
the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO),
under the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Sustainable Rice
Production (SRP).
Every
year CICL sponsors three to four CSU students for summer vacation work. Apart from these student projects CICL
participates in a number of other research projects, which are briefly
described in this section.
5.1.1 Conjunctive
water use within the CIA
This
is a collaborative project between CICL, CSIRO and the Australian Centre for
International Agriculture Research (ACIAR).
It is aimed that the project will help to achieve sustainability in the
CIA by identifying a suitable combination of groundwater and surface water
usage for irrigation. Groundwater
pumping reduces the watertable and hence assists in the control of soil
salinity and waterlogging problems, while also augmenting surface irrigation
supplies.
Two
sites for deep groundwater pumping have been recommended for the extraction of
four gigalitres per year. The modelling
work undertaken within this project indicates that minimal impact on deep
groundwater pressure levels and water quality will occur. Shallow groundwater pumping options, its
impact on watertables, potential yield and water quality are now being
investigated. The project will be
completed in the 2002/2003 financial year.
5.1.2 Linkage
between shallow and deep aquifer systems
This project is a collaborative project between CICL, DLWC
and UNSW. The project aims to achieve
better understanding of the linkages between various aquifer systems beneath
the CIA.
Evidence from earlier research suggests that low
permeability aquitards are perhaps contributing to the increase of local and/or
regional salinity in the underlying Calivil Formation. This is happening
through the imposition of downward hydraulic gradients associated with
large-scale abstraction regimes.
It
is expected that the findings of this project will significantly contribute to
the formulation of groundwater policies by CICL and DLWC.
5.1.3 Mapping of
prior streams within the CIA
This project is a collaborative project between CICL, UW and
the Federal Government (SPIRIT grant).
The project aims to provide a better understanding of prior streams,
their location, depth, and interaction with groundwater systems and land use.
This project commenced in the 2000/2001 financial year and
will be completed in three years.
5.1.4 Relationship
between rice growing and the Southern Bell Frog
The Southern Bell Frog (Litoria
raniformis) has declined dramatically in distribution and abundance within
New South Wales, and is presently considered ‘endangered’, being listed in
Schedule One of the Threatened Species Act. At the same time, however,
increased cultivation of rice through irrigation has created suitable habitat
for this frog species, thus enabling it to invade and proliferate in some, but
not all, rice-growing areas.
Plate 5.1 Southern Bell Frog (Litoria raniformis)
CICL and the Frog
Ecology & Behaviour Group of the Australian Museum are conducting
research regarding the presence of this frog within the CIA. The study has confirmed that the CIA
presently contains most of the remaining known habitat locations for the
species in New South Wales.
Within the CIA this frog is widespread and locally very
abundant. It probably makes extensive
use of flooded rice fields for breeding, though there are other kinds of water
bodies that may also be used for breeding. The seasonal flooding regime for
rice mirrors the breeding requirements for this frog species. Its conservation
in New South Wales is likely to depend on rice-growing practices in the CIA and
other parts of the state.
5.1.5 Ground-truthing
Hyperion sensor data from NASA’s Earth Observation – 1 research satellite
In September 2000 NASA scientists contacted CICL through
their connection with the CSIRO Earth Observation Centre, CSIRO Land and Water
and CRC for SRP. The NASA scientists
wanted to ground-truth the data collected from one of their satellites.
Plate 5.2 Dr Jay Pearlman, TWR Hyperion Science
Application Team Leader, undertaking visual inspection of CIA on 19 February
2001 as the EO-1 satellite carrying Hyperion instrument acquires data over the
CIA
In October NASA launched its “Earth Observation –1” research
satellite. The EO-1 satellite is
fitted with the “Hyperion” sensor (a hyperspectral radiometer) as part of
NASA’s Millennium Program. Hyperion
records the brightness of the earth in 220 spectral bands. This is a significant scientific leap in
comparison to previous satellites like LANDSAT, which can only record seven
spectral bands.
Plate 5.3 An image of the CIA remotely sensed by the
LANDSAT satellite. Vegetation is red,
bare soil is blue-green, stubble is white, and water is black
Data from CICL and data recorded on the farms within the CIA
will be used for a number of purposes, including the identification of:
- Areas
where crop health is affected,
- Soil
nitrogen levels,
- Other
factors affecting crop health,
- Crop
types, and
- Crop
varieties.
The first Hyperion images of the Coleambally area were
remotely sensed in December 2000. Because two of its flight paths overlap at
the CIA, Hyperion can view Coleambally every eight days. A compact disc is now being distributed to
scientists around the world, containing analyses of images from an urban study
in California, a mineral study in Nevada and an agricultural study in the CIA.
5.1.6 Student
projects
During
2000/2001 CICL sponsored four students from CSU for summer vacation work. Two students were involved in setting up
soil salinity monitoring sites and one student completed a Review of
Environmental Factors (REF) to assess the impact of water transfer from a farm
in a high watertable area. This project primarily looked at the effect on the
farm’s salinity. The fourth student
worked on presenting Education Program information on CICL’s web
site.
5.1.7 CICL’s
Research and Development commitment
Table
5.1 shows CICL’s Research and Development commitments for
2001/2002. This is approximately four
percent of CICL’s water sales.
Table 5.1
CICL's Research &Development commitments
