Project Status
This project is in the Pre-feasibility Stage.
The TIDB is investigating diverse suggestions for irrigation development in the noth east. TIDB schemes aim to maximise the farmer's choice as to productive use of their water entitlement. Water from TIDB schemes therefore will be available for the full range of agricultural enterprises.
The upper Ringarooma catchment is emerging as the likely location for the next water development in the north east being progressed by the TIDB in collaboration with local farmers. The upper Ringarooma is firming up as a prospective location following adoption of a catchment-based model by the TIDB to investigate feasible options for further water development in the north east of the State.
The catchment-based approach first surveys the hydrology of an entire catchment to determine the water available from a water sustainability viewpoint. Candidate sites are then identified from an engineering and feasibility aspect to develop a sub-set of the most prospective locations. This sub-set then undergoes further examinations, including environmental surveys, to identify the preferred location. This then constitutes the TIDB’s preferred option which is presented to the community for comment.
One of the criteria in the north east for the catchment-based approach is that potential sites are no further than 2km from major waterways. This allows such sites to hold water harvested during winter flood flows and pumped a short distance to the off-river storage for later release during the growing season.
|