Pike River
Context
The Pike River is one of the oldest irrigation areas in South Australia, and has a long history of problems with salinity and environmental degradation that started in the late 19th Century.
The area is already suffering under high salt loads and modeling predicts this is likely to rise. Climate change threatens water security for irrigators. The floodplain is becoming highly salinised and is degraded from animal grazing. Most of the remnant vegetation is unhealthy and some has already died from high salt levels on the floodplain. Irrigators are either inefficient, which leads to salinisation of the floodplain, or overly efficient, leading to salinisation of their soils.
Proposed solutions include:
- salt interception,
- piping of water directly from the River Murray to irrigators,
- restructuring of agricultural enterprises,
- removal of grazing from the floodplain,
- environmental flows,
- improved irrigation practices,
- revegetation
There are a wide range of problems and possible solutions facing this region. While there is an existing Land and Water Management Plan for the Area, future management would benefit from a more rigorous understanding of the functioning of the system and an analysis of the optimal management approach to achieve multiple objectives.
Date: 7/03/08
Workshop Objectives
- Present current state of knowledge on the Pike River system
- Present proposed management options
- Presentations on research interests of relevant researchers
Frances Simes: Problems and solutions to the Pike River irrigation areas
Presentation
Wayne Meyer: Landscape science research interests
Presentation
Sandra Leigh: Fish research interests
Presentation - coming soon
Cameron Grant: Soil science research interests
Presentation
Justin Brookes/George Ganf: Ecological modeling interests
Presentation - coming soon
Hossain Siddiqi: Late Holocene palaeo-reconstructions from stable isotopes in Pike River
Presentation
Jennie Fluin: Palaeo-ecological research in the Pike River
Presentation - coming soon
Tony Adams: Pike River system - irrigation issues
Presentation
Rebecca Turner: Pike River - management options
Presentation
