In this issue:

Smart Farms Newsletter Issue 3: August 2010

The Hawkesbury-Nepean River Recovery Program is funded by the Australian Government through the Water for the Future program.

Supplementary funding for the WaterSmart Farms project has been provided by the NSW Government through its Climate Change Fund.

Grant Funding Available

Turf Farmers‟ Information Evening

Nutrient Export Monitoring Project

Water Licence Purchases

Hawkesbury Nepean Metering Project

Wetland Restored to Soak up Pony Poo

Nutrient Export Monitoring Project

Fertilisers, and the nutrients they contain, are a vital part of agriculture. However, inappropriate manage-ment practices can lead to elevated levels of nutrients in farm runoff water, which can be detrimental to down-stream waterways. Excess nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can lead to outbreaks of aquatic weeds and algae in waterways. A new „Nutrient Export Monitoring Project‟, being run by the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change & Water, will measure nutrients in farm runoff from a range of agricultural activities in the lower Hawkesbury Nepean region. The project is working with the Smart Farms projects to assess the effectiveness of different management practices in reducing nutrients in runoff. This monitoring has involved taking runoff water sam-ples on farms where the Smart Farms projects are op-erating. Water samples are taken before and after nutri-ent management improvement works are undertaken and analysed for their nitrogen and phosphorus content to determine any reductions in nutrients leaving farms. Preliminary results are indicating that the nutrient man-agement works being implemented by Smart Farms are likely to be effective in reducing nutrients in agricultural runoff.

The Smart Farms projects (NutrientSmart Farms &

WaterSmart Farms) are working with landholders in

the lower Hawkesbury Nepean region to improve

nutrient management and water use efficiency. Free

workshops and grants for on-ground works are

available to eligible landholders.

Automated water samplers are used to collect farm runoff water samples during rainfall

Grant funding..... is available for projects that improve nutrient

management or irrigation water use efficiency on rural properties in the lower Hawkesbury Nepean. Phone the Smart Farms Information Line - (02) 4588 2118

Turf Farmers’ Information Evening

A Smart Farms Information Evening for Turf Farmers will be held on Tuesday 14th September 2010 from 7pm to 9pm to examine various water and nutrient management issues. The event, to be held at Windsor RSL Club, is a follow up to the successful field day held in 2009 and will cover: grant funding available through Smart Farms; Council requirements for installing nutrient detention ponds; feedback and case studies from irrigators in-volved in WaterSmart Farms (WSF); the benefits of the free irrigation system assessments available through WSF; and the new nutrient export monitoring project (see adjacent article).

For further information or to register (by 9th September) please use the contact details overleaf.

Evaluating ‘distribution uniformity’ of an irrigation system using measuring cans

Be Nutrient & Water Smart—it’s worth it!

Smart Farms Contact Details

Smart Farms Administration & Information Officer

Industry & Investment NSW

Locked Bag 4, Richmond NSW 2753

Smart Farms Information Line – 4588 2118

Fax – 4588 2159

Email – rosemary.dopper@industry.nsw.gov.au

Web: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/resources/smartfarms

© State of New South Wales through Department of Industry and Investment (Industry & Investment NSW) 2010. You may copy, distribute and otherwise freely deal with this publication for any purpose, provided that you attribute Industry & Investment NSW as the owner. Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing (May 2010). However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up to date and to check currency of the information with the appropriate officer of Industry & Investment NSW or the user’s independent adviser.

Wetland Restored to Soak up Pony Poo

Forty eight horses in a small area can make a lot of „pony poo‟ – but thanks to a NutrientSmart Farms funded wetland regeneration project at the Kurri Burri Polo Club at Richmond, that effluent will now be soaked up by a new wetland. Effluent and fertilisers, both rich in nutrients, can be carried off properties in runoff water and have adverse affects on waterways downstream, including outbreaks of noxious aquatic weeds and algae. Through this project a 400 metre long wetland has been restored with 2,000 native wetland plants to filter runoff water before it enters the Hawkesbury River. Adam Marshall, from Kurri Burri Polo Club, says the benefits of the wetland creation project have been threefold. „We‟re seeing improvements in beautification, positive environmental outcomes and we feel this is a contribu-tion to the local community,‟ he says. „We‟ve spent money on the river and wetland areas in the past and it‟s been great to have support to make sure that we do it properly and achieve the best environmental results.‟

Horse yards with minimal groundcover are prone to off-site transport of effluent and nutrients in runoff water

Technical Co-ordinator, Col Maes, inspecting a recently installed metering facility.

Hawkesbury Nepean Metering Project

New water metering systems are being installed across the Hawkesbury Nepean (HN) catchment as part of the „Improving Hawkesbury-Nepean Water Balance Accounting (Metering)‟ project.

Managed by the NSW Office of Water and funded by the Australian Government through its Water for the Future Program, the project will install or upgrade water meters and monitoring systems for up to 2,000 licensed surface water users in the HN catchment.

Project Manager Ian Charlton said, “The installation of 152 meters to date shows the progress being made. The meters will provide a valuable tool to help irrigators manage their water use and secure the long term sustainability and health of this iconic waterway.”

Ian Gregory of Tennyson Irrigation Co-operative Society in North Richmond was one of the first water licence holders to have a meter installed under the project. Mr Gregory believes water from the HN has been the lifeblood of the 50 farmlet families who form the Co-operative Society, for over 35 years. “The new electronic metering system will help to monitor and maintain water supply for farmers, the environment, local town water and lifestyle users. The installation process was co-operative and the new systems will hopefully lead to better utilisation of the water available in the HN system,” Mr Gregory said.

For further information call 1800 220 952 or visit www.water.nsw.gov.au and click on Water Balance Accounting under “Quick links”.

Water licence purchase Interested sellers for all or parts of entitlements in the Hawkesbury Nepean can phone Rachel at DECCW

for information - (02) 6229 7144