8.3.3.Management of water on a horticultural block

As for livestock production, water quality and quantity is critical for horticultural production. Dryland crop production relies on natural rainfall, but many long-term crops such as fruit trees require irrigation for at least the establishment phase.
Many plants, crops and trees will not tolerate salinity for example, so bore water must be thoroughly tested for salts and other dissolved minerals before it is deemed suitable as the main water source for a horticultural enterprise.
Irrigation from any water source for more than stock and domestic purposes, such as commercial horticultural production, will require a license. Contact your nearest NSW Office of Water for more details.
While surface water sources such as dams, rivers and creeks will not be subject to degradation issues if livestock are not drinking from them, it is still important to maintain adequate vegetation in the catchment area and suitable habitat in and around the water source to encourage native flora and fauna and maintain water quality.

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CASE STUDY:
TURNING A DAM INTO A WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Jennie and Chris Curtis have been restoring an old farm dam that was badly degraded by heavy stock use.
When we began this project the dam was a shallow, muddy mess in the middle of an eroding, treeless paddock. We wanted to improve the water quality and attract wildlife.
The first step was to exclude stock from the area. We also decided to excavate and extend the dam to create an island and a variety of water depths.
Contrary to the advice of the contractor, we wanted to have an irregular shape and to keep as much of the original edge of the dam as possible, as there were a few rushes growing there despite the devastation.
In the first year without stock, the grass grew back over areas of bare soil around the dam that had been eroding.  This helped catch the silt that had previously been pouring into the dam and reduced the salt scald below the dam. We noticed many frogs, tadpoles and small fish.
Reeds and rushes grew back along the original edges of the dam and began to spread along the new edges, helping to stabilise the earthworks. In the second year a pair of wild ducks raised ducklings on the island.
We were amazed at how much the appearance of the dam improved without doing much except keeping the stock out.
We have planted windbreaks on the eastern and western sides of the dam to provide shelter. Eucalypts and grevilleas have been planted on the island to provide shelter and safe nesting places for birds. We also planned to add dead logs on the island and install more tea-tree and callistemons around the edges of the dam.

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