Description:
The rapid growth of Ballarat's urban area, an inland city of approximately 100,000 people in south-eastern Australia, suggests that it is suitable for stormwater capture and reuse. With a threefold increase in the number of dwellings in recent decades, along with a 90% increase in their average size, it should follow that there is evidence of more flow being generated from the urban areas. However, while additional runoff from the growth of impervious areas may be occurring, the overall flow in the receiving river has dramatically reduced with a 60% decrease in the rainfall-runoff relationship since 1997. This reduction in river flow seems disproportionate to any association with the Millennium Drought which occurred during 1997 to 2009. The evidence of river flow has been complicated by other changes in the catchment. A change in the rainfall-runoff relationship has been identified in other similar catchments, and may lead to significant impacts on water resource management over the long term. To better understand the impacts on river flow downstream of an urbanised catchment, the flow has been partitioned into various components over time using the daily stream flow data available from 1957. Base flow, calculated as the stream flow after periods of four or more days without rain, has decreased. Transfers, predominantly from other catchments for use as potable supply and entering the river via the waste water treatment plant, have remained steady, but now make up the vast majority of dry weather flow. While climatic variations have impacted the river significantly the actual streamflow reduction has been twice that predicted by data from the Australian Water Resources Assessment. A significant increase in the number of small farm dams due to the expansion of peri-urban living around Ballarat explains a further portion of the flow reduction. This paper highlights multiple factors which influence river flow and demonstrates how increases in urbanised area do not necessarily create additional river flow at larger aggregate scales. The investigation therefore provides a cautionary tale around assumptions of stormwater harvesting and any perceived benefit to river flow, and provides insights into the importance of collecting water information of the correct type and scale to help inform future integrated urban water management efforts.
Description:
The rapid growth of Ballarat's urban area, an inland city of approximately 100,000 people in south-eastern Australia, suggests that it is suitable for stormwater capture and reuse. With a threefold increase in the number of dwellings in recent decades, along with a 90% increase in their average size, it should follow that there is evidence of more flow being generated from the urban areas. However, while additional runoff from the growth of impervious areas may be occurring, the overall flow in the receiving river has dramatically reduced with a 60% decrease in the rainfall-runoff relationship since 1997. This reduction in river flow seems disproportionate to any association with the Millennium Drought which occurred during 1997 to 2009. The evidence of river flow has been complicated by other changes in the catchment. A change in the rainfall-runoff relationship has been identified in other similar catchments, and may lead to significant impacts on water resource management over the long term. To better understand the impacts on river flow downstream of an urbanised catchment, the flow has been partitioned into various components over time using the daily stream flow data available from 1957. Base flow, calculated as the stream flow after periods of four or more days without rain, has decreased. Transfers, predominantly from other catchments for use as potable supply and entering the river via the waste water treatment plant, have remained steady, but now make up the vast majority of dry weather flow. While climatic variations have impacted the river significantly the actual streamflow reduction has been twice that predicted by data from the Australian Water Resources Assessment. A significant increase in the number of small farm dams due to the expansion of peri-urban living around Ballarat explains a further portion of the flow reduction. This paper highlights multiple factors which influence river flow and demonstrates how increases in urbanised area do not necessarily create additional river flow at larger aggregate scales. The investigation therefore provides a cautionary tale around assumptions of stormwater harvesting and any perceived benefit to river flow, and provides insights into the importance of collecting water information of the correct type and scale to help inform future integrated urban water management efforts.
Description:
Online Farm Trials is part of an interoperable web-GIS maintained by Federation University Australia. The Online Farm Trials (OFT) project is funded and supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), and was initiated in 2013 with the aim of using the latest technology to improve access to, and adoption of, grains industry research data and information. Federation University Australia's Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation is leading the project to develop and deliver the OFT Trial Explorer, Report Library and other trial research resources. The project has a strong collaborative approach, working with a range of crop research groups, industry experts and grain industry organisations to ensure the outcomes are highly relevant, practical and beneficial. The Federation University Australia Spatial Online Farm Trials database includes: An accessible online digital library of national farm trial research reports and documents. Direct online access to trial research data in digital form with download capacity. Online analytical/decision tools for growers, agronomists and researchers. Linking of other sources of relevant data and information with trial research through interoperable systems. Increased networking and collaboration on cropping issues and farm trial research. The principle objective of the project is to help growers improve productivity and sustainability of their farm enterprise through improved access to trial research knowledge.
Description:
The FedUni Spatial groundwater bore database is part of an interoperable web-GIS maintained by the University of Ballarat. It records data on groundwater research and monitoring bores that are either owned, maintained or monitored by the University for groundwater research projects. The UB Spatial website was initially developed with funding support from the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority and contained four environmental datasets: groundwater bores, salinity, erosion and landslides, covering the Corangamite region. The FedUni Spatial groundwater bore database contains information on bore location, bore ownership, bore construction details, aquifer parameters, groundwater level monitoring, groundwater chemistry and isotopes, bore lithology and stratigraphy. It includes links to images, documents, datafiles and weblinks that are relevant to individual bore records. The UB spatial groundwater bore database is also used to clean and enhance data, most of which is then revised in the Victorian Groundwater Management System owned and managed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The UB Spatial groundwater bore data is also included in the Visualising Victoria's Groundwater web-portal www.vvg.org.au
Description:
The UB Spatial groundwater bore database is part of an interoperable web-GIS maintained by the University of Ballarat. It records data on groundwater research and monitoring bores that are either owned, maintained or monitored by the University for groundwater research projects. The UB Spatial website was initially developed with funding support from the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority and contained four environmental datasets: groundwater bores, salinity, erosion and landslides, covering the Corangamite region. The UB Spatial groundwater bore database contains information on bore location, bore ownership, bore construction details, aquifer parameters, groundwater level monitoring, groundwater chemistry and isotopes, bore lithology and stratigraphy. It includes links to images, documents, datafiles and weblinks that are relevant to individual bore records. The UB spatial groundwater bore database is also used to clean and enhance data, most of which is then revised in the Victorian Groundwater Management System owned and managed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The UB Spatial groundwater bore data is also included in the Visualising Victoria's Groundwater web-portal www.vvg.org.au
Description:
The importance of transience in the management of hydrogeologic systems is often uncertain. We propose a clear framework for determining the likely importance of transient behavior in groundwater systems in a management context. The framework incorporates information about aquifer hydraulics, hydrological drivers, and time scale of management. It is widely recognized that aquifers respond on different timescales to hydrological change and that hydrological drivers themselves, such as climate, are not stationary in time. We propose that in order to assess whether transient behavior is likely to be of practical importance, three factors need to be examined simultaneously: (1) aquifer response time, which can be expressed in terms of the response to a step hydrological change (τstep) or periodic change (τcycle); (2) temporal variation of the dominant hydrological drivers, such as dominant climatic systems in a region; (3) the management timescale and spatial scale of interest. Graphical tools have been developed to examine these factors in conjunction, and assess how important transient behavior is likely to be in response to particular hydrological drivers, and thus which drivers are most likely to induce transience in a specified management timeframe. The method is demonstrated using two case studies; a local system that responds rapidly and is managed on yearly to decadal timeframes and a regional system that exhibits highly delayed responses and was until recently being assessed as a high level nuclear waste repository site. Any practical groundwater resource problem can easily be examined using the proposed framework.
Description:
The importance of transience in the management of hydrogeologic systems is often uncertain. We propose a clear framework for determining the likely importance of transient behavior in groundwater systems in a management context. The framework incorporates information about aquifer hydraulics, hydrological drivers, and time scale of management. It is widely recognized that aquifers respond on different timescales to hydrological change and that hydrological drivers themselves, such as climate, are not stationary in time. We propose that in order to assess whether transient behavior is likely to be of practical importance, three factors need to be examined simultaneously: (1) aquifer response time, which can be expressed in terms of the response to a step hydrological change (
Description:
The Australian Geomechanics Society's (AGS) guidelines on Landslide Risk Management emphasise landslide zonation as a key requirement for regulators dealing with landslide risk (AGS 2007a). The basis for zonation is a landslide inventory which reflects the nature and spatial distribution of landslide types in a particular locale, such as a local government area. This paper describes the design and implementation of a web-based landslide database for south west Victoria aimed at disseminating landslide inventory information to regulators. consultants and the general public. Although the 4,581 mapped landslides represent the most complete and extensive data set for the region, the current data quality and resolution does not meet the AGS guideline for landslide zonation at the municipal planning scale. However, with an essential need for landslide planning controls in this region, the data is the best available for the construction of zonat ion maps, resulting in conservative boundaries at the required map scale. The paper highlights the ongoing need to improve the spatial extent and quality of the landslide database if the statutory planning zonation maps are ultimately to comply with the AGS guidelines.
Description:
DSM is a collaborative workspace for researchers working on digital soil mapping in Australia. This workspace is the initiative of the Advisory Group on Digital Soil Assessment, a working group of the National Committee on Soil & Terrain. The website is part of an interoperable web-GIS maintained by the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI) at Federation University Australia (FedUni). The International Union of Soil Sciences Digital Soil Mapping Working Group defines DSM as "creation and the population of a geographically referenced soil database, generated at a given resolution by using field and laboratory observation methods coupled with environmental data through quantitative relationships." Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) utilises numerical methods and information technologies to produce predictive maps of soil types and their properties. DSM relies on traditional field mapping, observations and laboratory analyses for soil data but also utilises spatial models of landscape terrain and remotely-sensed properties. Typically numerical methods such as interpolation algorithms and data mining are used to create the maps. OzDSM in collaboration with CeRDI is developing a digital soil mapping tool, and a demonstrator version is displayed on the site. A range of data is included, such as nutrient budgets and soil pH, and with extra data available for the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority region including landslides, erosion and salinity.
Description:
The effect of three faults on the slope stability was studied for the Stage 1 open pit in an open cut mine in Australia. The faults were treated as joints using Barton's method, and the slope was under dry and partially saturated conditions. A finite element program in RocScience was used in the study, where the generalized Hoek-Brown criterion was employed for rock mass and the Mohr-coulomb criterion for the faults. It is found that the factor of safety of the slope decreased with the introduction of the fault structures. Furthermore, the fault structures created higher stress concentrations zones at the ends of the faults.
Description:
The Corangamite region in southwest Victoria, Australia is subject to a variety of geohazards, among which landslides and erosion have the most significant impact. Over the past fifty years, landslides have resulted in loss of life and many millions of dollars damage to municipal infrastructure and development. Soil erosion by water and wind has also impacted on the region's waterways and environment, threatening a diverse range of assets from urban water quality to Ramsar-listed wetlands. More assets are placed at risk each year, as the increasing regional population results in an acceleration of anthropogenic modifications to landscapes. A comprehensive GIS database was initiated by assembling all publicly available previous databases and reports documenting landslides and erosion in the 1,340 km2 region. New data were added by mapping occurrences which were visible on high-resolution ortho-corrected aerial photographs. The field-checking of the occurrences was assisted by the participation of the local community, municipal officers and catchment management coordinators. At present 2163 landslides and 2380 erosion sites have been identified, mapped and referenced in the database. It is believed that thousands more instances exist, but these cannot be identified at the aerial photo scale, or are obscured by dense vegetation. A spatial analysis has been undertaken to identify landscape parameters which correlate with the occurrences. Historical aerial photography was used in selected locations to identify the rates of erosion and landslide events. The inventory has been used to estimate the economic, social and environmental costs of landslides and soil erosion within the region, using documented instances of damage and the costs of remediation. Combined with the value of the assets and elements at risk, the potential likelihood of occurrence and associated consequences, these estimates are used to develop a strategy for the investment of public funds in remediation.
Description:
Detailed soil data has been collected in the Corangamite region of south-east Australia for over 80 years, as a testament to the productive value of the region’s agricultural soils. Soil science over that period has resulted in soil maps, soil investigation sites and archival materials that provide valuable baseline data for the analysis of trends over time. This legacy data has been brought together with contemporary data in the award-winning Soil Health Knowledge Base, an Internet portal based on spatial data infrastructure that interoperably federates data (open data, research data, industry data, sensor data, legacy data, crowdsourced data … any available data). The portal provides the best available data sources for research and consulting, as well as functions for both the private reward and the public good. The ultimate intent is to provide timely decision support for agricultural enterprises and catchment managers to protect, enhance and restore soil health.
Description:
Finite element analysis incorporating the shear strength reduction method was applied to study the west slope stability of an open cut mine in Australia using Mohr–Coulomb and generalized Hoek–Brown criteria. The pit of the mine had multiphase excavations and reached 180 m in depth. The study investigated three slope configurations, namely, Stage 1 inter ramp slope 43°, Stage 2 inter ramp slope 49° and optimized Stage 2 slope 54°. When implementing the generalized Hoek–Brown failure criterion, the equivalent factor of safety was 1.96, 1.87 and 1.40 under dry slope for the three configurations, respectively. However, under partly saturated conditions, the optimised slope would have a factor of safety 1.16. Furthermore, the generalised Hoek–Brown criterion generated lower factors of safety than the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion. The difference is related to an overestimation of the shear strength parameters by the linear Mohr–Coulomb criterion under low confining stresses compared with the non-linear Hoek–Brown.
Description:
Forecasting supply and demand is fundamental to the sustainability of the water system. Demand for urban water seems on an ever-upward trajectory, with use increasing twice as quickly as population throughout the 20th century. However, data from Ballarat, a city in south-eastern Australia, show that despite this conventionally held wisdom, total water usage actually peaked over 30 years ago. While the 1997–2009 ‘Millennium Drought’ had some effect, the decline commenced many years before. Initially, this was due to a reduction in external domestic water use, which correlates well with an increase in water price. However, the effect was found to not be purely economic as the price was not volumetric-based. Internal water use seems more affected by technological advances and regulatory controls. Interestingly, there was no relationship found between rainfall and water demand. The role of price, water-reduction education programmes, water-efficient technology and regulation supports previous research that a multifaceted approach is required when developing demand-reduction policies and strategies. This finding emphasises the importance of understanding the component of consumptive behaviour being targeted, and ensuring that policies being implemented are appropriate for the desired behavioural change.
Description:
The Corangamite Corangamite soil health knowledge base is part of an interoperable web-GIS maintained by Federation University Australia. The Corangamite soil health knowledge base is a collaborative research project between the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and the Centre for eResearch and Digital Innovation (CeRDI) at Federation University Australia (FedUni). The aim of the research is to develop a comprehensive, informative, intuitive-to-use knowledge base of soil health information that will assist the broader community to respect the values of the soils of the Corangamite region. The project was initiated in June 2013. The research is overseen by the Corangamite CMA Land Health Program Steering Committee. The role of the committee in the project is to advise on the function, use and relevance of the data and information sources in the knowledge base, which is an online repository of soil health information and knowledge: including reports, research papers, maps and descriptions related to current and past soil series mapping, land capability and suitability assessments, agricultural trials, and soil research and investigations. Soil health studies in the Corangamite region date from 1936. The most recent document to revisit soil health issues in the Corangamite region is Soils Vision: A 20-year plan to improve broad-acre agricultural soils in south west Victoria, known as the 'south west agricultural soils plan' (SWASP). This community-led initiative brought together a collaboration of farming groups, agricultural industries, government agencies and research institutions to identify the activities required to improve the condition of soils used for agriculture in South West Victoria. The goal of this project is to provide the essential background knowledge required to implement the appropriate SWASP soil health actions customised for each of the 15 Local Catchment Plans in the Corangamite region. Project aim and research questions The overall aim this project is to develop a comprehensive, informative, intuitive-to-use knowledge base of soil health information that will assist the broader community implement the SWASP within the LCPs of the Corangamite region. To achieve this, the following key questions emerge: What information exists and how relevant is it to the current soil health issues? How reliable is the information and to which landscapes does it apply? How can the relevant soil health information be best maintained and disseminated?