The Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) was built in the early 1960’s utilising practices that did not consider many of the environmental issues that are relevant to present day thinking and values. Since that time much has been done in an attempt to improve on the design and management of irrigation systems to address water quality, water efficiency and ground water.
In conjunction with these improvements has come the need to allocate water for environmental, social and other economic uses. ‘Water Allocation’ came as a result of the establishment by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 1994 of a national Water Reform Framework to address the need for the sustainable management of Australia's water resources. The framework was formulated in response to considerable concern about the state of many of Australia's river systems and a recognition that an important part of the solution lay in significant policy and institutional change.
The design of the ORIA as a ‘flow-through’ flood irrigation system makes the management of water efficiently difficult. In addition the current system design is prone to facilitating the transportation of silt, nutrients and pesticides off farm into the drainage system and the Ord and Dunham Rivers.
Within the ORIA there is a need to increase irrigation efficiency levels and reduce off farm movement of silt, nutrients and pesticides. This has come from a regulatory perspective where water quality and efficiency targets will be a part of the licensing agreement of the Ord Irrigation Cooperative (OIC). In addition present community expectations expect that farm management practices are developed to reduce the impacts of agriculture on riverine systems.
This study concludes that there is significant potential for the re-use of tailwater at a system level within the ORIA. This report identifies a total of six points within the drainage system that could potentially become pump out points for water to be re-used both within the existing irrigation system and on areas yet to be developed.
Of the sites selected two have the capacity to contribute to the irrigation requirements of large areas of existing farmland (2967ha). Prior to this happening however the issue of the quality of re-use water in terms of potential pesticide and nutrient levels would need to be dealt with by the Ord Irrigation Cooperative and the local agricultural industry.
The other four remaining sites would have the potential to supply some water in the event that new irrigated farmland was developed close to these sites.
Reuse Study [1mb pdf] 
[download]
We are grateful for the financial assistance provided by the Australian Government Envirofund. The support and technical advice given by the Ord Irrigation Cooperative and its staff.
We also appreciate the assistance of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure, the Lake Kununurra Fish Stock Enhancement Group, the East Kimberley Recreational Fishing Advisory Committee and Phillip Mayes for providing unpublished data.
The Ord River District Cooperative and Lone Eagle Pty Ltd for the their assistance in the wetlands sampling component.
Salvinia eradicated from Lake Kununurra
Ord Land and Water and partner organisations have managed to achieve a rare feat in the war on weeds. The aquatic weed Salvinia, a Weed of National significance has been eradicated from Lily Creek, a tributary of Lake Kununurra.» More