Wagga Wagga City Council
uses a wide range of methods to tackle the problem of salinity.
That includes engineering works as well as campaigns to educate people and to
change their behaviour.
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| A Piezometer
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Monitoring the problems
Piezometers are monitoring tools to measure the groundwater levels and sample groundwater
quality.
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| Meters showing level of salinity and depth of water table
at Emblem Park
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Ninety piezometers have been installed across the catchment over the past
three years to assist in the development of a groundwater map of Wagga Wagga.
The Wagga Wagga Catchment piezometers are on a transect which crosses the city and
includes many of the schools.
Salinity levels of groundwater are also measured and recorded at different places to
monitor the severity of the problem.
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| A de-watering bore pump on Little Mooring Street
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De-watering
Nine deep bores have been installed in the Calvary hospital area to lower the
water table through groundwater pumping. Groundwater salinity levels are closely
monitored as it is pumped into the Murrumbidgee River.
Wagga Wagga Council has a 5-year license from the Department of Land and Water Conservation
to put groundwater into the river. A condition is that the groundwater stays below the
salinity level of 2dS/m.
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| A de-watering bore at Emblem Park
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Draining and Evaporation
Draining and evaporation are ways to get rid of excessive groundwater.
There is an evaporation basin for the Wagga Wagga Showground to solve the problem of
waterlogging. It has been built to:
- ensure the outgoing use of the showground by controlling the showground's
watertable height
- safely dispose of salty groundwater and prevent it from reaching the river
- test the effectiveness of an evaporation basin in managing salinity in an urban area.
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| Evaporation Basin for the Showground
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Drainage pipes were built under the showground to reduce waterlogging by draining
excessive water from the soil. The salty groundwater drained into these pipes and then
to the Murrumbidgee River via storm water drains. In 1998, this basin was built in
response to NSW Government regulations preventing salty water being drained to the river.
It balances the amount of water flowing in from the showground and leaving through
evaporation.
Regeneration of vegetation
Replanting trees and shrubs will reduce recharge into the groundwater system.
The salinity revegetation program in Wagga Wagga began in 1998. Since then, around
30 000 plants have been planted.
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| Willans Hill Recharge Area
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Education and community efforts
Wagga Wagga Council puts lots of efforts to increase people's awareness of
salinity problems. It has published a booklet for people to have self-guided tours on
salinity problems of the city. It has 11 stops where they can see for themselves what
is happening there.
At the Council office, there are other books and pamphlets on salinity and on how to
reduce water use at home. Since watering gardens would increase recharge into the
groundwater system, the Council has a lot of information on how to reduce water use by
different ways, such as improving irrigation systems, converting lawns into
water-efficient gardens, and mulching.
