Title

Australia: Managing salinity risks associated with importing irrigation water into Clare
Country
Australia
Summary

In Australia, a new approach to water management was needed to allow imported water to be used for irrigation without increasing the salinity of the soils or groundwater. Action was taken to develop a framework to enable irrigators to manage the environmental risks associated with the use of River Murray water for irrigation. The key lesson is that a salt management strategy is relevant for land irrigation.
Related IWRM Tools
  • Training Water Professionals (
    B4.02
    )
  • Geographic Information System (
    C2.01
    )
  • The Rights of Rivers (
    A2.04
    )
Keywords
Food and Nutrition Murray-Darling
Lessons Learned

The water licensing policies determine the locations at which salt will accumulate and the number of years that will pass before salt becomes the major issue.

A single source of regular, clear, consistent communication is essential to avoid confusion and to win support for any innovative strategy.

History shows that salt accumulation has caused the eventual failure of most irrigation schemes.

A salt management strategy is highly relevant wherever there are plans to irrigate land that has not previously been irrigated.
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