Dam Building
Gina Rinehart’s $10 billion Roy Hill mine in Karratha WA is Australia’s largest iron ore ...
Continue reading
Water is very important for farming. Farm dams are crucial for irrigation, cattle, and keeping rural communities alive in Australia and around the world.
But every year, millions of litres of valuable water are lost to evaporation, especially in hot, dry places like much of inland Australia.
As an expert dam builder with over 30 years of experience, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges and opportunities that come with managing dams through extreme weather events.
Whether you’re a landholder with a farm dam or responsible for a larger water storage, preparing your dam for drought or heavy rainfall is essential for protecting your assets, ensuring water security, and safeguarding downstream communities. In this guide, we will help you learn how to prepare your dam effectively.
To effectively prepare your dam, understanding the specific risks associated with your location is key. Regularly assessing your dam’s condition will help you prepare your dam for changing weather patterns.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the best practices, strategies, and maintenance routines to help your dam weather the extremes of drought and deluge.
Calculating the right dam size and capacity for a farm dam requires balancing water demand, evaporation losses, catchment hydrology, and site-specific engineering factors. Here’s a systematic approach refined over decades of agricultural water management.
Evaporation loss from farm dams in Australia is a great challenge to water security, ranging from 9% to 36% loss of total volume of water in summer. Reliable quantification and prediction of losses are complicated by numerous factors that include meteorology, dam shape, and inaccuracies in measurement. This paper explores the complexities of evaporation estimation, the limitations of current practice, and the potential for improvement through advanced modeling and abatement technologies like floating covers and windbreaks. Understanding these dynamics is essential to effectively manage water in Australia’s agricultural regions.
Dams, the silent giants of engineering, stand tall, serving specific purposes across the globe. These crucial structures, designed for water resource management, flood control, and power generation, come in various forms. Here, we present an insightful glimpse into the world of dams, showcasing 15 distinct types tailored for diverse functions and environmental contexts.
Innovations in spillway design for dams have significantly improved the safety and efficiency of these critical infrastructure projects. Dams play a vital role in managing water resources, providing hydroelectric power, and ensuring water supply for various purposes such as irrigation and municipal use. However, as essential as they are, dams can pose significant risks to downstream communities and the environment if not designed, maintained, and operated correctly. One crucial component of dam design is the spillway, which helps control water levels and discharge excess water during periods of heavy rainfall or flooding.
Removing weeds from your farm dam is essential for the overall health and productivity of your agricultural operation.
Farm dams are vital resources for agricultural purposes, providing water for livestock, irrigation, and other crucial farming tasks.
However, over time, these water bodies can become infested with weeds, which not only diminish their functionality but also harm the ecosystem. Weeds in farm dams can compete for nutrients, block water flow, and reduce water quality.
In this comprehensive blog post, I will explore various methods and strategies to effectively remove weeds from a farm dam, ensuring the continued productivity of your agricultural endeavors.
Dams are essential components of our infrastructure that play a pivotal role in reducing the impact of floods and wildfires.
Natural disasters such as floods and wildfires can wreak havoc on communities, causing significant damage to property and posing serious threats to human lives. Climate change has caused an increase in the frequency and severity of catastrophic disasters in recent years. To mitigate the impact of these catastrophes, various strategies have been employed, and one of the most effective methods is the use of dams. Dams play a crucial role in reducing the impact of floods and fires by managing water resources, providing a source of firefighting water, and offering flood control. In this blog post, we will explore how dams serve as vital tools in mitigating the devastation caused by floods and wildfires.
Rural communities in Queensland are grappling with a dire water crisis as dams and groundwater sources continue to dry up, leaving desperate farmers facing a bleak forecast for November.
The ten largest dams in the world showcase the remarkable achievements of engineering and the importance of water management in modern society.
Dams are engineering marvels that have been vital to human civilization for centuries. They serve various purposes, from flood control to water supply and hydroelectric power generation. In this blog post, we will embark on a journey to discover the ten largest dams in the world. These massive structures stand as a testament to human ingenuity and our ability to harness the power of water for the benefit of communities and nations.
Australia’s vast and diverse landscape is dotted with numerous dams that serve essential functions in water supply, agriculture, hydroelectric power generation, and more.
Australia is a vast and diverse country, known for its stunning natural landscapes. Among its remarkable features are its dams, engineering marvels that serve various purposes, including water storage, irrigation, and hydroelectric power generation. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at the ten largest dams in Australia, highlighting their significance, capacity, and the role they play in the country’s development.
Dams are critical infrastructure that serves various purposes, from flood control to electricity generation and water supply. While dams are engineering marvels designed to withstand nature’s forces, there’s an unlikely adversary that can wreak havoc on these structures: trees. In this blog post, we’ll explore the unexpected challenges posed by trees to dams and understand why they are considered problematic.
Earth dams on farms represent the age-old human endeavour to harness nature for sustenance.
Farming has always been at the intersection of human ingenuity and nature’s bounty. With the ever-growing demand for food and agricultural products, farmers constantly seek innovative ways to maximize productivity. One such method, prevalent across varying scales of farming, is the use of earth dams. These structures provide a reliable source of water for irrigation, livestock, and in some cases, even aquaculture. However, with increasing concerns about environmental sustainability, it’s vital to ensure that these dams are not only serving our agricultural needs but are also aligned with sustainable water management principles.
When one envisions the massive structures that hold back water, allowing for electricity generation, agricultural irrigation, and even recreation, the immense benefits of dams come into focus. Specifically, earth dams, made primarily of natural materials, are perceived as more ‘eco-friendly’ alternatives to their concrete counterparts. However, is this truly the case?
Dams have long been an integral part of our world’s water management systems. These structures serve various purposes, from flood control to water supply and hydroelectric power generation.
However, as we seek more sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions, the integration of water plants in dams is emerging as a promising approach. This innovative practice brings a multitude of benefits that extend beyond traditional dam functions. In this article, we’ll explore the ten key advantages of integrating water plants in dams.
Farm dams are vital for irrigation, livestock watering, and flood control in rural areas, but they require erosion control.
Without proper erosion control measures, these essential water bodies can become sources of environmental degradation and soil erosion. Erosion not only affects the structural integrity of the dam but also leads to sedimentation in water bodies downstream. To ensure the longevity and effectiveness of your farm dams, implementing erosion control measures is crucial. Here are 10 tips to help you effectively manage erosion around your farm dams.
As the world seeks sustainable solutions to address the pressing challenges of climate change and energy consumption, innovative approaches that marry traditional agricultural practices with renewable energy sources are gaining prominence. One such symbiotic relationship is the integration of solar energy systems with farm dam infrastructure. This convergence not only aids in sustainable energy generation but also enhances water management and agricultural productivity. In this blog post, we delve into the benefits, considerations, and steps involved in seamlessly integrating solar energy systems with farm dam infrastructure.
In the face of increasing global environmental challenges, the conservation of biodiversity has become more critical than ever before. While agricultural practices have often been associated with negative impacts on wildlife and ecosystems, farmers now have an opportunity to play a pivotal role in enhancing biodiversity on their lands. Farm dams, which are essential for irrigation and water storage, can also be transformed into thriving habitats for wildlife. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of enhancing biodiversity with farm dams and how farmers can create valuable ecosystems that support wildlife while still meeting their agricultural needs.
Droughts are natural phenomena that can have devastating effects on agriculture, particularly for small farms. As climate change intensifies, the frequency and severity of droughts are increasing, leaving farmers grappling with water scarcity and its impact on their livelihoods.
In recent years, the impact of agriculture on the environment has become a growing concern. As the global population increases, so does the demand for food production, which places significant pressure on natural resources and ecosystems. In this context, small farms have a crucial role to play in sustainable agriculture and conservation efforts. One essential feature of small farms that offers numerous environmental benefits is the farm dam. These man-made water reservoirs not only aid in water management for farming operations but also contribute positively to the local environment and biodiversity. In this blog post, we will explore the environmental benefits of farm dams on small farms and shed light on their significance in creating a sustainable future
Farm dams play a vital role in agricultural practices, serving as a reliable water source for irrigation, livestock, and general farm operations. However, heavy rainfall or excessive water accumulation can lead to the dam’s water levels rising beyond capacity, potentially causing catastrophic consequences. To prevent such scenarios and ensure controlled overflow, designing effective spillways becomes crucial. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of spillways, their design considerations, and best practices for designing spillways that effectively manage excess water while safeguarding the integrity of farm dams.
For small-scale farmers, ensuring a reliable water supply is crucial for successful agriculture. In regions with irregular rainfall patterns or limited access to natural water sources, farm dams play a pivotal role in providing irrigation water throughout the year. These on-farm reservoirs offer numerous benefits, enabling small farms to thrive and sustain their operations. In this blog post, we will explore the significant role of farm dams in irrigation for small farms and delve into the advantages they bring to agricultural practices.
Rhodophyta, or red algae, can develop for a number of reasons, such as nutrient availability and environmental circumstances. A few of the major causes of red algae include the following
A metal sludge-like layer is infecting two dams that provide water for showering and drinking in Sydney The Cataract and Cordeaux dams have increased levels of iron, examinations have shown. Tests show that inside this sludge there is also aluminium, manganese, lithium, strontium, barium, titanium, zinc and nickel. The dams supply water to 600,000 people …
‘Dam-avoidance’ has penetrated practically every level of Australian Government. No big new water storage’s have been built for years. Since 1990, the population of Australia has expanded almost 50 percent – however there has been pathetic 3 percent increase in dam storage. Despite the drought, we know that there always be significant rain events, and …
The total active storage percentage of rural water supplies in NSW dams on 11 November 2019 was 30.3%. This was a decrease of 0.4% since last week.
A public service announcement for unhappily married acreage-owning men who hope for a better future
A new 20,000,000 litre water security project for the ultra premium super-fine merino fleece producer in Australia and 3 time winner of the premium global Ermenegildo Zegna fine wool award. Zegna is unique in the men’s fashion world for owning 100% of its supply chain. Ermenegildo Zegna spins ultrafine merino wool from farms in Australia …
The State Government has reached into it’s pockets and pulled out $50 million for the current drought dilemma The NSW Government has decided to make it rain money to confront the state’s H2O crisis situation. The Minister for Water announced the $50m to target a number of major water infrastucture initiatives $39 million will …
Big Ditch’s ‘Catch Every Drop’ tells the story of the crippling drought in Australia. This is the cinema long-form version edit of ‘Catch Every Drop’ – for showing at cinemas before features – with guest appearance by Jimmy Barnes.
Hoover dam was built in the 1930’s and we know that infrastructure deteriorates with time. So when will it need significant repair or replacement? No expense was spared in the quality of the design and construction of Hoover Dam. It is an arch dam. Arch dams are the Cadillac of dams in terms of meticulous …
Large dams capture lost rainwater run-off for avocado growers Avocado growers always worry about their dam levels and their ability to effectively harvest rainwater. The dam for Josh McMillan is completed. Large dams are helping Comboyne avocado growers like Josh McMillan ensure their water security for their stock and crops. These rainwater harvesting systems allow …