[Music plays and an image appears of a split circle, and photos move through of CSIRO activities in either side of the circle, and then the circle morphs into the CSIRO logo]
[Image changes to show a black screen with white text: CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands, seas and waters of Australia, specifically the Garawa, Gangalidda, Waanyi, Kukatj, Lardil, Yangkaal, Kaiadilt, Wakabunga, Nguburinji, Kalkaadoon, Mitakoodi, Mayi-Kutuna, Mayi-Thakurti, Mayi-Yapi and Mayi-Yali Peoples as Traditional Owners of the lands, seas and waters of the Southern Gulf catchments, We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present]
[Images move through to show an aerial view of a river, a river with a small island and trees lining the river bank, an aerial view of a tree lined river, and then a river with flowering lilies, and text appears: The Victoria River catchment, Northern Territory]
Narrator: CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, has assessed the risks and opportunities of developing water resources in Northern Australia's Victoria River catchment.
[Image changes to show an aerial view of a river and mountainous bushland, and then the image changes to show Earth and then the camera zooms in to the Northern Territory, and text appears: Population – approximately 1,600 people (1 person per 50 km²), Catchment area – 82,400 km²]
Remote and sparsely populated, the catchment spans an area of just over eight million hectares in the Northern Territory.
[Music plays as image shows the map with a black border around a section of land and rivers by the Western Australia and the Northern Territory border as white dots pinpoint towns, and text appears: Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Katherine, Ord River Irrigation Area, Kununurra, Timber Creek, Lake Argyle, Yarralin, Top Springs, Kalkarindji]
[Images move through to show an aerial view of a station with cattle in yards, a close view of the cattle in the yards, and then an aerial view of the yarded cattle, and text appears: Value of cattle industry - $110 million per year]
Within the study area, cattle grazing is the largest industry. There are no mines and less than 100 hectares of irrigated agriculture.
[Image changes to show a windmill spinning behind pink Bachelors Button flowers, and then the image changes to show a close view of the spinning windmill blades]
Thirty one per cent of the catchment is under Aboriginal freehold tenure.
[Image changes to show an aerial view of a river in a canyon, and then the image changes to show a rocky cliff face beside trees, and text appears: Indigenous Peoples make up almost 75% of the population]
Indigenous peoples have continuously occupied and managed the Victoria River catchment for tens of thousands of years.
[Image changes to show an aerial view of cliffs in the mountainous bushland]
They hold significant rights and interests in land and water resources.
[Image changes to show and aerial view of a wide tree lined river, and then the image changes to show a view of the river through tree branches, and text appears: Median annual discharge into the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf – 5,370 GL]
The Victoria River has the second largest median annual stream flow of any river in the Northern Territory.
[Images move through to show a river with water lilies and Boab trees on its bank, three bats hanging on a tree branch, and then a close and a very close view of a small creek water fall]
Though not pristine, the Victoria River catchment has many unique characteristics and valuable ecological assets.
[Image changes to show an aerial view of a creek running beside a road and cliffs, and then the image changes to show an aerial view of a road through mountainous bushland, and text appears: Judbarra National Park covers 16% of the Victorian River catchment]
These include wetlands, spring fed creeks and national parks.
[Images move through to show a view from the river to trees lining its bank, an aerial view of a wide river running past mountainous bushland, and then a river bank lined with trees, and text appears: Existing licensed surface water extractions – approximately 2 GL per year]
With irrigation the Victoria River catchment has a climate suitable for a wide range of annual and perennial horticulture and broadacre crops and forages.
[Image changes to show a bird’s eye view of a rocky river lined with trees]
There are several locations suitable for developing irrigated agriculture.
[Image changes to show an aerial view of dams in a sparse bushland]
However, opportunities and risks vary across the catchment.
[Image changes to show a map with of a river with grey highlighting clay soil along the river, and then the image changes to show an aerial view of trees on a grassy plain, and text appears: Upper West Baines River – 53,000 ha of cracking clay soils]
Adjacent to the Upper West Baines River there are alluvial clay soils suitable for dry season broadacre irrigation.
[Images move through to show a map with a black border around a section of land and rivers with white dots, an aerial view and then a side view of a harvester harvesting a crop, and text appears: Ord River Irrigation Area, Kununurra, Lake Argyle, West Baines River, Timber Creek, Victorian River]
The proximity of the Upper West Baines River to the Victoria Highway and Kununurra and the Ord River Irrigation Area potentially offers strategic advantages.
[Images move through to show views of a male beside a 4x4 in the scrub drilling a bore, hands pulling out a tube, a tube of rocks and a tape measure, and hands holding a pencil and dirt, and text appears: 100 GL of surface water could irrigate up to 7,000 ha]
Upstream of the Victoria Highway it is physically possible to extract up to 100 gigalitres of surface water from the West Baines River in 75% of years.
[Image changes to show a male crouched while marking paper, and then the camera zooms in onto the paper the male is marking]
Extracting this amount would lead to a median annual reduction in discharge of less than 2%.
[Image changes to show a map with a black border around a section of land and rivers with orange soil highlights and white dots pinpoint towns, and then an aerial view of bushland, and text appears: Sturt Plateau, Tanami Desert, Eastern and southern margins – 760,000 ha of loamy and sandy soils]
Along the eastern and remote southern margins of the Victoria River catchment are extensive areas of well-drained sandy and loamy soils, suitable for irrigated horticultural crops.
[Images move through to show an aerial view of sparse bushland, a bird’s eye view of the sparse bushland, and then an aerial view of tree canopies lining a waterway]
These are underlain by the Cambrian Limestone aquifer and the Dolostone Aquifer southwest of Kalkarindji. Groundwater from these aquifers discharges as springs.
[Image changes to show a close view of a creek flowing through tree roots, and then the image changes to show an aerial view of the camera panning out from a dam, and text appears: There are no existing groundwater entitlements from the Cambrian Limestone Aquifer in the Victoria catchment, 10-15 GL of groundwater could irrigate 1,000 – 2,000 ha]
It is physically possible to extract 10 to 15 gigalitres of groundwater each year from these two aquifers.
[Image changes to show a map with a black boarder around a section of land and water as the camera zooms in on pink highlighting alluvial soils along a river, and then an aerial view of a tree lined river]
It would also be possible to site small scale water harvesting enterprises at some locations on the narrow alluvial soils adjacent to the Victoria and Wickham rivers.
[Images move through to show an aerial view of an outback road, and then the camera pans over various aerial views of sparse bushland]
The total economic activity from a hypothetical 10,000 hectares of irrigated agriculture in the Victoria River catchment could generate up to $280 million, supporting up to 200 full time equivalent jobs.
[Image changes to show a wide aerial view of a fuel station at a crossroad, a close view of a ‘Top Springs’ road sign, a medium aerial view of the fuel station, and then a close view of a fuel pump]
However, studies show that additional income from mining, fishing, grazing and irrigation industries in regions such as this flows disproportionately into non-indigenous households.
[Image changes to show an aerial view of a truck driving along a dirt road through the bush, and then the image changes to show a bird’s eye view of the truck driving along the road]
Concerted action by all stakeholders would be needed to deliver equitable benefits.
[Images move through to show an aerial view of a small bush town, the ‘Timber Creek Hotel’ roadside sign, and then a 4x4 driving past a hotel]
The nature and scale of any water resource development depends heavily on the social, economic and environmental values of communities and governments.
[Images move through to show an aerial view of a tree lined river beside mountainous bushland, an aerial view of sparse bushland dams, and then a shallow rocky river between trees, and text appears: http://csiro.au/victoriariver]
How any potential development is undertaken and managed in practice will have implications for environmental outcomes including water quality. No change in land use or water resource development is also a valid outcome. To find out more about this assessment, visit our website.
[Music plays as image changes to show tree reflections on a river, and text appears: CSIRO is not a development proponent, This assessment aims to detail the resources of the catchment and examine how they might be used, All findings are made public to allow governments, communities and prospective developers to determine, for themselves, the best way forward based on their respective values]
[Image changes to show the CSIRO logo with text: CSIRO, Australia’s National Science Agency]
