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The Limestone Coast Landscape Board, South Eastern Water Conservation and Drainage Board and the Goyder Institute for Water Research are partnering to deliver a research project to support water security in the Lower Limestone Coast.
The research project will deliver new knowledge about opportunities to manage water from the region’s artificial drainage network. This will include addressing risks to primary industries and wetlands in a drying climate.
“The artificial drainage network is a significant piece of water infrastructure for the Lower Limestone Coast,” said Dr Penny Schulz, Chair of the Limestone Coast Landscape Board.
“As our climate dries and our water resources are increasingly contested, we need new knowledge to understand what is actually possible to build a water secure future,” said Dr Schulz.
The research is timely with the region experiencing one of its driest seasons on record. Research teams from the CSIRO, Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia are delivering the work through the Goyder Institute for Water Research partnership.
Research outcomes will be used to assess the potential to hold back water in the drainage network to be used in different ways to improve social, environmental, economic and cultural benefits. Options might include recharging local groundwater, providing additional water to key wetlands or mitigating the risk of seawater intrusion into local groundwater aquifers.
The research is being complemented by an increase in wetland monitoring undertaken by the Department for Environment and Water in collaboration with the Limestone Coast Landscape Board. Sensors to monitor water levels have been installed at 25 different wetland sites. These wetland monitoring sites are linked to observation wells that monitor groundwater levels and will provide a better understanding of how groundwater and surface water interact.
“The research project and monitoring will provide us with knowledge that we must have to make the right decisions for our water future,” said Dr Schulz.
“The Goyder Institute for Water Research delivers research and knowledge to inform policy and decision making. The Lower Limestone Coast region is such an important part of South Australia’s primary production base and the research being delivered by our partner organisations is going to be critical to inform how water is used in the region under uncertain climate conditions.” said Dr Alec Rolston, Director of the Goyder Institute for Water Research.
The research project is made up of five tasks that tackle everything from the value of different water uses, current and future water availability, and the risk of seawater intruding into groundwater aquifers.
Together the work will build tools to support future decision making and priorities for adapting the artificial drainage network to support water security in the Limestone Coast. The project will be completed in mid-2025.
* The Goyder Institute for Water Research is a collaborative partnership of the South Australian Government through the Department for Environment and Water, Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.
