Salinity risk assessment of an irrigation development using treated coal seam gas water in the Condamine River catchment

Article

Crawford, M. H., Williams, K. M., Biggs, A. J. W. and Dafny, E.. 2021. "Salinity risk assessment of an irrigation development using treated coal seam gas water in the Condamine River catchment." Soil Research. 59 (1), pp. 44-59. https://doi.org/10.1071/SR19375

Article Title	Salinity risk assessment of an irrigation development using treated coal seam gas water in the Condamine River catchment
ERA Journal ID	5248
Article Category	Article
Authors	Crawford, M. H., Williams, K. M., Biggs, A. J. W. and Dafny, E.
Journal Title	Soil Research
Journal Citation	59 (1), pp. 44-59
Number of Pages	16
Year	2021
Publisher	CSIRO Publishing
Place of Publication	Australia
ISSN	0004-9573
	1446-568X
	1838-675X
	1838-6768
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)	https://doi.org/10.1071/SR19375
Web Address (URL)	https://www.publish.csiro.au/sr/SR19375
Abstract	All irrigation developments inherently carry a salinity risk, due to an unavoidable change in the water and salt balance. The time frame in which either land or water salinity will develop is driven by the ability of the landscape to absorb the change of water and salt supplied. Factors that influence this are landscape attributes, such as the size of the unsaturated zone and its properties (permeability and drainage), management considerations (land-use changes, water application rate and crop water use) and climate variability (temperature and rainfall). This study assessed the risk of secondary salinity expression occurring in an irrigation area in the Condamine-Balonne catchment in southern inland Queensland, Australia. The objectives were to (1) define the depth, size and properties of the unsaturated zone and regolith, (2) define deep drainage rates for past, present and future land uses and (3) assess this information to calculate the risk that groundwater table rise may result in surface salinity expression. Data collected during field investigations was used to conceptualise the regolith architecture, undertake hydrogeological modelling, estimate the available moisture storage capacity of the unsaturated zone and model paddock deep drainage characteristics. The work identified that irrigation-induced deep drainage had started to mobilise salt stores in the unsaturated zone. It also identified connectivity between land management and salt discharges into the Condamine River. As the water supply for the scheme is scheduled to continue until 2030, there is a clear risk of the unsaturated zone moisture storage capacity being exceeded, leading to both land and surface water salt expressions.
Keywords	electrical resistivity tomography (ERT); hydrogeology; Hydrus; water balance
Contains Sensitive Content	Does not contain sensitive content
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020	400513. Water resources engineering
Public Notes	Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions.
Byline Affiliations	Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy, Queensland
	National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture

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