Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4 Western Australia, Series 4
Volume 18
Number 3 1977 Article 12
1-1-1977
Cost of farm water supplies : conclusions from surveys Cost of farm water supplies : conclusions from surveys
I A F Laing
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Laing, I A F (1977) "Cost of farm water supplies : conclusions from surveys," Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4: Vol. 18: No. 3, Article 12.
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Cost of farm water supplies- conclusions from surveys
by I. A. F . Laing,
Department of Agriculture
The Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with the Farm Water Supply Advisory Committee, has conducted farm water supply sur- veys in many districts in the wheat- belt.
In almost every case the surveys involved data collection by per- sonal interview of the farmer. In general, the farmer's memory was
relied upon for information re- quested but in some instances, veri- fication of data was possible by actual measurement, for example of dam volumes, depth of dams and water quality.
Most of the surveys involved data collection from every farm in a locality, although a series of eight surveys in 1973 were done by random sampling. Between 10 and 40 per cent of farms were visited during these sampling sur- veys, depending upon the total number of farms in the survey area.
The aim of the surveys was to collect data to assess the existing water supplies, the potential for further water supply developments and to compare the relative dif- ficulty of water supply development in different localities.
From field experience and from these surveys it is evident that the costs of developing on-farm,
drought-proof water supplies are greatest in the West Midlands and Eradu sandplains and generally in
the northern and north-east wheat- belt. This is because:
• underground water search and development is costly compared to development of surface sup- plies, (in the Midlands and Eradu sandplains the depth to water—as deep as 200 metres—
makes it expensive); and
• the size of dams and improved catchments required (where sites exist) are greater in these areas than in southern areas.
Particular problems occur in those districts where deep sand overlies a clay sub-soil and where no fresh groundwater is available.
In such districts improved catch- ments are essential for promoting runoff into dams and, especially where the depth of sandy over- burden is greater than 0.3 m, the cost of catchment improvement is high.
The main districts where deep sands are a problem are near the south coast from the South and North Stirlings districts, through to Boyatup, east of Esperance.
Underground water in bores or wells is recognized as the most re- liable form of on-farm, drought- proof water supply in the wheat- belt. Mostly, supplies from bores in the wheatbelt are only of stock quality, with relatively few bores supplying water suitable for house and garden use. The quantity of water available is usually in the range of 8 000 to 14 000 litres a day. The depth of bores is gen- erally between 15 and 35 metres.
The success rate for locating underground water is notoriously low. Over a large part of the wheatbelt the average success rate is 10 per cent—i.e., one success- ful bore from every ten tries. In some districts the success rate is much better than this; but in other districts (such as Lake Grace) the success rate is far less. Many farmers have spent vast amounts of money on drilling for water with little success.
Districts in which farm water supply sur- vey data has been collected.
North Kalannie ....
Beacon-Bonnie Rock Narembeen-Mt Walker ....
Holt Rock-Lake Varley ....
Pingaring ....
Bindi-Bindi Badgingarra Pingrup South Stirlings Badgebup ....
North Kalannie ....
Beacon-Bonnie Rock Westonia ....
Muntadgin-Mt Hampton ..
Corrigin-Bullaring North Wickepin East Beverley East York
West Goomalling ..
West Bowgada East York ..
West Goomalling ..
West Bowgada East York Broomehill
East Dalwallinu ....
Beacon-Bencubbin
.... 1965 .... 1966 .... 1966 .... 1966 .... 1966 .... 1967 .... 1968 .... 1968 .... 1969 .... 1971 .... 1973 .... 1973 .... 1973 .... 1973 .... 1973 .... 1973 .... 1973 .... 1973 .... 1975 .... 1974 .... 1974 .... 1975 .... 1974 .... 1974 .... 1976 .... 1976 .... 1976
98 Journal of Agriculture Vol 18 No 3, 1977
