Fairview and Springwater Irrigated Forest and Fodder Plantations - Operational Management and Monitoring

Specifications

• Scope:

  Following feasibility investigation and establishment of CSG irrigated forest and fodder crops, management and maintenance including:

  • Plantation and Leucaena health monitoring
  • Plantation and Leucaena weed control
  • Pest and disease control
  • Firebreak and track maintenance

   

  Following design and installation of a large scale automated monitoring system, implementation of a monitoring program for management, environmental compliance and research to support adaptive management including:

  • Monitoring of automated data including climate: irrigation water quality and quantity; soil moisture status; soil solute quality; ephemeral and perennial stream flow and quality; groundwater depth and quality.
  • Real-time presentation of automated data via a web interface
  • Manual sampling and analysis for: soil chemistry; soil solute; detailed irrigation, soil permeability, surface and groundwater quality
  • Health, nutrition and growth monitoring of irrigated forest and fodder crop
  • Lab analysis and field samples
  • Analysis and interpretation of data including soil salinity and sodicity changes and deep drainage rates
  • Management and exchange of all data and reports via SharePoint
  • Reporting of monitoring program results and recommendations for adaptive management
  • Coordination of a Technical Reference Review group and critical review of overall program performance
  • Development of a detailed procedures manual for use by the client to ensure consistent and repeatable monitoring methodology
  • Calibration and maintenance of automated monitoring equipment

  This program involved management of enormous volumes of data generated via instruments (up to 5,700 data points per sensor each day by hundreds of sensors), plus sampling and management of large numbers of field samples requiring chain-of-custody control.

• Benefit to Client:

  Management and maintenance operations ensured successful and healthy crop development, and maintenance of water use capability.

  Monitoring provided the client with real-time and field sampling data to meet system control and compliance requirements. Verterra's environmental and operational monitoring for coal seam gas water irrigation of forest and fodder crops ensured system parameters remained within licence conditions, allowing water management and, in turn, gas production, to continue uninterrupted.

  Verterra conceived and initiated establishment of a Technical Reference Committee comprised of independent scientific experts to review monitoring and operational performance results and make recommendations for continual improvement of the CSG operating system. This provided a high level of credibility to the overall project.

• Market Sector: Oil and Gas
• Capabilities:
  • Irrigated forest & fodder crops for beneficial use of waste water
  • Monitoring and database management
  • Research Services
• Location: Queensland
• Year: 2009 - 2010 - 2011 - 2012 - 2013