Pyramid-Boort
Size and Location
The Pyramid-Boort Irrigation Area covers 166,215 hectares (126,400 hectares suitable for irrigation) in Northern Victoria.
From its headwaters north of the ranges, the Loddon River flows through this Area which extends from the Waranga Western Channel (WWC) in the south, to the Macorna Channel in the north.
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Townships within the Area include Boort, Dingee, Mitiamo, Bears Lagoon, Pyramid Hill and Macorna.
Supply System
Some 1,651 properties are serviced in this Area via a network of natural waterways (150 km) and man-made distribution channels (1,391 km).
Water Right in the Area totals 213,568 megalitres.
Lake Eildon is the Goulburn system's major storage and has a capacity of 3,334,158 megalitres with a catchment area of around 3.900 sq kms. Water is released from Lake Eildon and makes a two day journey along the Goulburn River to the major diversion point at Goulburn Weir near Nagambie. Water is diverted into the Cattanach and Stuart Murray Canals. These canals deliver water to Waranga Basin, which has a capacity of 432,360 megalitres.
Water released from Waranga Basin into the Waranga Western Channel to supply the Rochester and Pyramid-Boort Irrigation areas. Water can also enter the Pyramid-Boort Irrigation area from the Loddon River at Loddon Weir, Fernihurst. This meeting of the two systems (Goulburn and Loddon) allow for supplements to occur from the Loddon system to the Goulburn system. It also allows the Loddon water quality to be improved downstream of the mixing point. Pumped supplies are also drawn from the Loddon River and are managed by Diversion Operations in Kerang.
Irrigated Agriculture
The Pyramid Hill district is traditionally renowned for wool and fat lamb production while the dairy industry remains prominent around areas such as Yarrawalla, Calivill and Dingee. The district also produces hay and includes some summer and winter cropping. Ther are also some diverse industries such as salt harvesting, applies and cherries.
The Boort district has a diversity of industry crops including olives, tomatoes, corn and lucerne. Emerging industries within the area include aquaculture, grape growing and value adding olive products are increasingly prominent.
Environmental Management Issues
Salinity
The Tragowel Plains Salinity Group increased drainage and encouraged farm layout plans in the 1900s to help prevent the water table from rising. The group also instigated many plantations of salt tolerant native trees and groundwater monitoring sites. A major focus of the Tragowel Plains Salintiy Plan was to encourage irrigators to concentration their irrigation water on their productive soils rather than the less productive soils. To identify the salinity status of the soils in the area, 95% of the area was surveyed for soil salinity. The soil salinity information provided the basis for irrigators to assess their current irrigation practices. It was identified through the Salinity Plan that there was adequate productive soils in the area for the volume or allocated irrigation water. Another key component of the salinity plan was to improve the area's surface water managment. Many regional drainage schemes were constructed throughout the area. More recently a private enterprise has worked together with Goulburn-Murray Water to intercept the salt filled groundwater before reaching the Pyramid Creek in the area's north, harvesting the salt commercially.
Surface Water Management (Drainage)
Appropriate surface water managment in an irrigation region is vital to maintain ecological health and economic productivity. The full irrigation cycle (supply and removal) requires management to minimise the local and regional environmental impacts of irrigated agriculture.
Much of the area has access to drainage in one form or another. G-MW services the areas aroudn Tragowel, Macorna and DIngee with a relatively small drainage network of man-made drains. The majority of the remaining area is drainded by NCCMA owned and managed drains (such as Bullock Creek), small community schemes outfalling NCCMA drains or directly to one of the many natural waterways running roughly south to north throught the area.
Effective surface water managment cannot occur without efficient use of the water on the farm. Annual water use limits and functioning re-use systems are two methods of minimising the volume of nuisance water reaching drains, reducing the impact of irrigation on the environment.
In June 2004, G-MW signed the Memorandum of Understanding for Irrigation Drainage Management and Water Quality (IDMOU). The agreement sets a framework to address the future management of irrigation drainage on and off farm and set water quality targets in the receiving waterways and an agreed program of activities to achieve those targets.
Water Quality
The water quality within the area has increased due to the extraction of salt and decreased run of from from land. Constant monitoring allows the redirection or dilution of affected water.
Environmental Flows
The area is directed by North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) on passing flows at Loddon Weir. Environmental water is released at the Weir to improve the health of the Lower Loddon River through to Kerang. The NCCMA also directs environmental water to the Area's wetlands along the Loddon River triggered by Loddon system allocation.
Water Services Committee
The ten elected irrigators meet monthly to achieve, through local management, the broad business objectives set by the Board of Goulburn-Murray Water .
Customers can communicate issues or grievances throught the WSC representatives or through the area office. Customer services levels are assessed by the WSC and approved by the Essential Services Commission (ESC). The continued development of the Customer Service charter will enable the area to provide agreed services and service standards at lower costs.
Water Ordering
Irrigation Planners in the Pyramid Hill office co-ordinate the delivery of water orders placed on Goulburn-Murray Water's telephone ordering system (known as WaterLINE ) Planners must endeavour to plan water orders so that channel fluctuations are minimised and that one customer's finish time is tied to anothers start time, to ensure system efficiency. Four days' notice is a system constraint, especially in the Boort district, to allow sufficient time for accurate planning and to allow the required flow from the headworks to reach the district. Water orders with less than four days' notice are accepted, but the chances of receiving water on the day ordered are reduced for short notice orders
Click here for customer contacts.
Click here for the 'Future Managemnt Strategy - Facilitating the Improved Efficiency of the Pyramid-Boort Irrigation Area' report. The is the final report dated 14 February 2006.
