Oral Presentation Australasian Groundwater Conference 2017

Fusing modelling and engagement practices to support assessment of conjunctive water use opportunities (#193)

Baihua Fu 1 , Jenifer Ticehurst 1 , Wendy Merritt 1 , Takuya Iwanaga 1 , Daniel Partington 2 , Barry Croke 1 , Anthony Jakeman 1 , Allan Curtis 3
  1. Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
  2. Flinders University, Adelaide
  3. Charles Sturt University, Albury

Effective water resource management requires the consideration of issues at stake within an appropriate coupled human-water systems context. In the case of the Murray-Darling Basin, societal sensitivities mean any approach to progress the management of the system must be defensible and socially acceptable under scrutiny from multiple perspectives (i.e. environmental, social, economic, and scientific). Integrated approaches allow us to elicit, connect and assimilate often-fragmented knowledge and information across sectors and disciplines, and with modelling processes to evaluate the consequences of management options.

We have applied an integrated approach to elicit and explore various conjunctive use options (i.e. managing surface water and groundwater collectively) in the Campaspe catchment. Through disciplinary research – including groundwater and surface water modelling, recharge studies, ecological and social research – and through integrated modelling processes, we have identified and explored the feasibility of conjunctive use options. The approach comprises six key components: 1) identifying issues and conjunctive use options through stakeholder workshops, 2) development of a feasibility assessment methodology for these options, 3) conceptual design of the integrated model, 4) design and development of component models, 5) software implementation of the integrated model and 6) evaluation of the options paying particular attention to uncertainties. The integrated modelling was designed for generating system understanding and management and decision support. It allows us to investigate the consequences of various possible futures, considering climate, water policy and irrigation opportunities on groundwater sustainability, farm profit, river ecology and recreational values.

In the presentation we describe the approach, and discuss the benefits:

  • Engaging irrigators in constructive dialogue about ways to improve water management
  • Identifying innovative opportunities that have not been considered or tested by policy managers
  • Integrating local knowledge and advanced science to aid decision making
  • Highlighting knowledge gaps and uncertainties that need to be addressed to support water management
  • We are offering awards for Career and Early Career presentations and posters. Please indicate length of time since highest degree completed.: 5 Years or more