Irrigation modernisation plan

International professional services company GHD has been engaged to develop an irrigation modernisation plan for one of Australia’s most important irrigation areas.

The plan will consider the options available to increase the efficiency of the irrigation system that feeds the Burdekin delta in North Queensland — recognised as Australia’s sugar cane capital. The delta produces up to 6 million tonnes of sugar cane each year, more than half of the area’s irrigated cane.

Lower Burdekin Water — a joint venture between the North Burdekin and South Burdekin water boards — has commissioned GHD to investigate the impacts of changes to water availability, irrigation technology and regional crop type demand on the area over the next 20 to 50 years, including the potential impacts associated with climate change.

Growers in the delta rely on a mix of surface water, delivered via pipes and channels, and groundwater to irrigate crops. GHD will examine the irrigation and aquifer replenishment scheme, as well as the potential to enhance the overall water balance. The consequences of unmanaged water losses and accumulations will also be explored.

The modernisation plan aims to improve the efficiency of the area’s irrigation systems, including identifying ways to enhance operational efficiencies, addressing groundwater quality and quantity, asset upgrades, and providing sustainable land and water practices with minimal impacts to the associated riverine and coastal ecosystems.

The company is also assisting irrigators in Queensland, Western Australia and northern Victoria to plan for modernisation.