Rivers and Water Quality

Healthy rivers, creeks and streams are the arteries of the Australian environment. They provide the water to sustain many different plant and animal communities, as well as being the lifeblood of our agricultural enterprises and rural communities. Without healthy water bodies, Australia does not have a sustainable future. >

With 78 per cent of Australian woolgrowers having properties which adjoin at least one waterway [Land, Water & Wool Best Practice Survey 2003], managing these water systems and keeping them healthy is a crucial part of running a profitable wool producing enterprise.

Land, Water & Wool’s Rivers and Water Quality Sub-program helped woolgrowers find profitable, productive management options for land around rivers and streams.To do this, the program studied issues such as gully and streambank erosion, water quality, weed management and riparian zone management within a total grazing system.

Rivers and Water Quality managed four projects within the Sub-program, one that operated at the national level and three that were based in important woolgrowing regions of Australia (see below for details). Woolgrowers were directly involved in undertaking research in all of the projects, as well as assisting with the development of a range of products designed to improve on-farm management of rivers, creeks and streams.

Projects

Publications

Fact Sheet

Guides

Case Studies