Research Program

• Overview of Research Program
• Research Themes
• WIDCORP research update 2009
• Current and completed research

Overview of Research Program

Water is a scarce resource. How we value water is becoming increasingly important, especially in the Wimmera Mallee where climate constraints in the form of continued drought years and climate change place pressure on the availability of water for its various uses. How water is valued, used and contested in a dryland community, and how the community can best maximise opportunities from the Pipeline are questions posed by our Partner Organisations: the water resource managers of the region.

The research aims to contribute to a positive future for regional areas, specifically dryland agricultural regions in Australia by identifying and optimizing opportunities that arise from the availability of quality, reliable water. The Wimmera Mallee pipeline project provides a unique opportunity as a case study of a dryland region undergoing major water reform.

The Wimmera Mallee Pipeline is to replace 16,000 kms of earthen channels that currently supply water from the reservoirs of the Grampians to the townships and farms of the region. The channel system is highly inefficient, losing through seepage and evaporation an estimated 85% of the water entering the system. With the prolonged drought exacerbating the scarcity of water in the region, this loss of water is not sustainable.

The Research Program focuses on four key areas:

1. Sustainable systems
2. Valuation of water and its uses
3. Diffusion of innovation and change relating to major water reform
4. Regional futures

The Research Program outlines the Context and Research Themes.

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