Grants up for grabs for GS and Wheatbelt farmers to improve water accessibility in State Government trial

A trial to uncover underground water resources and improve security amid WA’s drying climate is under way across the Wheatbelt and Great Southern, with the State Government offering up to $20,000 for the “shared risk” research project. The joint initiative between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Curtin University uses magnetic surveys to find water in underground bedrock. The research team and specialist companies are working with farmers to develop groundwater exploration services and improve access to excess ground water. Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis said the project was the latest in the WaterSmart Farms project to improve farmers’ resilience amid changing climate conditions. “We all know that we are living in a drying climate — I’ve already heard predictions that this year is going to be extra dry, and so we’re already staring down the barrel of increasing drying climates,” she said. “It’s really important we continue to look for new and different ways to harness water supply options on farms.” The water project is part of the larger WaterSmart Farms program that was established in 2021. “Groundwater exploration and desalination technologies give farmers the ability to draw on additional supplies when needed in dry seasons and support value-add opportunities for livestock or cropping enterprises,” Ms Jarvis said. “Supporting further exploration in this area through these grants will continue to build scientific understanding to support our farmers to make informed decisions and build confidence in our drying climate.” Kojonup sheep farmer Royce Quartermaine said initial trials in the project had found water stock for their sheep and cropping operations. “We can pump two litres a second. If we’re pumping for 24 hours, it’s around 50,000 litres of water . . . the further down we went (into the bedrock) the less salty the water got,” he said. DPIRD senior principal research scientist Richard George said the grants are designed to help farmers cover the shared risk of allowing the research to happen on their properties. “The goal of this project now is to expand the number of farmers we’re working with to at least 50 to test the geophysics in a much wider range of terrains; hard country, dry country, eastern country, country with a lot of sheep, country with no sheep — wherever those farmers are going to come from,” Dr George said. “This is a learning project for all of us.”