Project Report - Development of the Technical Manual for Assessing Hotspots in Channel and Piped Irrigation Systems
June 2008
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
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About this report
This document outlines the process by which the Technical Manual for Assessing Hotspots in Channel and Piped Irrigation Systems was developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), for the Irrigation Infrastructure Hotspots Assessment project (the Hotspots project) under the Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure element of the Australian Government Water for the Future program.
The objective of the Hotspots project is to identify areas in an irrigation supply system where localised significant water losses are occurring, through evaporation, seepage, leakage and operational components, and to quantify the extent of those losses. These water losses are categorised as real and apparent.
The real water loss is water lost through evaporation or by seepage into a saline water table. Once this water is lost it cannot be directly recovered or used for beneficial purposes within the irrigation system.
Apparent water loss is the volume of water that moves from one system to another and could become available for beneficial use. However, the first opportunity for beneficial use is lost.
This document describes the series of workshops that were organised by the CSIRO, in collaboration with the International Centre for Water for Food Security at Charles Sturt University, and how they informed the development of the Technical Manual for Assessing Hotspots in Channel and Piped Irrigation Systems.
Prior to the workshops, four discussion papers were prepared and distributed to seek input from participants. An independent technical writer compiled written feedback on the papers. This feedback is presented in Appendix A.
Three workshops were held, in Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne, to facilitate further consultation with key water practitioners. Participants included irrigation water providers, state and federal water-related agencies, consultants, academics and scientists. An independent expert facilitated the three workshops. A listing of workshop participants is presented in Appendix B.
Feedback on the technical aspects of the project was complied and considered throughout the process. Independent national experts participated in all three workshops. In addition, three international experts participated in the final workshop held in Melbourne. Their role was to make sure the proposed process was inclusive, critically reviewed and robust. They maintained their independence with regard to science and organisation affiliations.
As a result of the workshop findings and existing techniques and knowledge the CSIRO has also developed a Technical Manual for Assessing Hotspots in Channel and Piped Irrigation Systems.
See also:
- Irrigation Hotspots Assessment Program
- Technical Manual for Assessing Hotspots in Channel and Piped Irrigation Systems
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