Water infrastructure - Bore Capping
Located in Australia, the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) is the largest and deepest in the world; spanning about 1,700,000 square kilometres across QLD, NSW. NT and SA. The GAB has a 64,900 million ML capacity and is responsible for supplying around 8000 bores and 120 towns with permanent water.
The GAB is the lifeblood for many farmers and regional communities. Farmers located within the basin perimeter rely heavily on having access to the basin when experiencing longer periods of drought and rain forecasts are at all time lows. Access is possible by pumping water into dams or bore drains/channels for livestock consumption and crop irrigation through traditional bore facilities. This allows farmers to make available clean water in two to three troughs across each paddock, thus also spreading grazing pressure.
In recent years it has been discovered that the uncontrolled use of bore drains and channels was greatly reducing the pressure of the basin while also contributing to the encouragement of noxious weeds and feral animals. Due to the lack of containment, about 95% of the water is also lost through evaporation and seepage. With non-native flora & fauna posing a major risk for our ecosystems, drought resilience & coordinated governance strategies such as bore capping have been put in place to counteract these issues.
New South Wales, South Australian, Queensland & Northern Territory Governments have invested heavily into bore capping & piping schemes with the aim to support all areas located within the basin region to begin moving towards a more resilient use of the water.
Bore capping & piping is the process of managing free water flow by rehabilitating traditional bores and replacing open drains/channels with pipes, tanks and troughs.
The use of bore capping will increase water security and reduce the impacts during drought. So far, just in New South Wales the program has had excellent results saving 80,000 ML of water each year, a total of 10,000 KM of bore drains removed and successfully improved 4.2 million hectares of farms with permanent, reliable and efficient water sources. Mid West Concrete has supported this program through the supply of 86 of our longline (16ft) precast concrete livestock troughs to the Borgara Bore Scheme located east of Enngonia on the NSW/QLD border - ensuring clean and consistent water is secured and available for livestock.
Water security and bore capping schemes utilising quality troughs and tanks are important to offset impacts of drought and containment issues. Establishing water infrastructure that considers controlled use and containment of water also supports the rehabilitation of natural bores.
All Mid West Concrete products are designed for durability, performance and longevity. Manufactured from 40mPA concrete and featuring steel reinforcing (and in some cases fibre additives), Mid West Concrete livestock troughs are perfect for water infrastructure and management programs.
For more information on our range of troughs, contact the friendly Mid West Concrete team today.