WaterSmart Farms

What are the WaterSmart Farms projects? 

Adaptation is a key response to manage in an increasingly variable climate. With drier and hotter conditions, securing water in regional areas is critical to enable agriculture and sustain regional communities.  

The WaterSmart package of work aims to investigate sustainable water supply options and optimise on-farm use of groundwater, new desalination technology and novel treatments to existing farm water dams to provide suitable water for livestock, crop agronomy and agribusiness activities.

Some of the major projects are: 

WaterSmart Farms 

1. Desalination and inventory and analysis - collaboration with Murdoch University

   Understanding adoption and use of on-farm desalination units that process brackish groundwater into a suitable resource for livestock, crop agronomy and other agribusiness activities.  

2. Desalination demonstration sites - collaboration with Water Corporation and Murdoch University

   Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination units have been installed in 4 communities at Dumbleyung, Merredin, Katanning and Wongutha. Research will help with optimising desalination technology and assessing its viability as supplementary or alternative water supply, including evaluating ways to manage reject water. 

3. Fractured rock aquifer investigations - collaboration with Curtin University and DEMIRS 

   Undertaking a targeted groundwater exploration program to develop a geophysical methodology to assess the viability of fractured rock aquifers as a source of fit-for-purpose (brackish) water. 

WaterSmart Dams 

1. Making dams work again - collaboration with Grower Group Alliance (GGA) and University of WA 

   Developing improved technology to capture, harvest and store water in farm dams to provide water of sufficient volume and quality to meet industry need. Building evaluation and economic tools to assist farmers in decision making. 

WaterSmart industries 

1. Investigating brackish groundwater resources - collaboration with CSIRO and DEMIRS

   Assess 2 pilot palaoechannel aquifers, utilising mining and exploration tools (such as AEM) to find fit-for-purpose groundwater, plan and test options to support regional agribusinesses. Seeking to partner with NWGA to expand to four (4) project areas. 

Why was WaterSmart Farms initiated? 

The project was initiated in response to growing industry requests to develop more climate resilient on-farm water supply options. The urgency for this work was highlighted in 2020 after a 3-year dry period and record 12 water deficiency declarations.  After 2 wetter years (2021-2022) extremely dry conditions returned in 2024. 

Dry conditions have seen traditional water supplies fail to meeting industry needs, resulting in an unsustainable demand on scheme water, large amounts spent on carting emergency water supplies for livestock and diminished industry confidence. 

The goal is also to find ways to access and treat water that has filled the Wheatbelt as consequence of 100 years of clearing for agriculture. Finding this water will aid the management of salinity as well as underpin existing and new industries in regional communities.   

WaterSmart Farms partnerships and funding 

The project is being managed by the department. Its capacity to deliver new science is the result of engaging with a consortium of skilled partners from Western Australian universities, water agencies, farmers and private industry.  

Some key partners include Water Corporation, CSIRO, Murdoch, Curtin, UWA, DEMIRS, DWER, grower groups, industry bodies, and government entities in regional development, including local governments and Regional Development Commissions. 

The projects are possible through the contributions and in-kind support from project partners as well as the following funding.