Analysis of the Lower Burdekin, Ord and Katherine-Douglas-Daly Irrigation Areas: Implications to future design and management of tropical irrigation

C. Petheram, S. J. Tickell, F. O'Gara, K. Bristow, A. Smith and P. Jolly
February 2008
This study examines three well known but different irrigation areas in northern Australia and seeks to draw out key experiences and lessons relevant to existing and future irrigation in the North. The three focus areas are the: Lower Burdekin (LB), Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA), and Katherine-Douglas-Daly-Area (KDDA). The Daly River has no in-stream storages yet maintains a relatively large dry season flow due to baseflow from groundwater inflow. It is these perennial flows and groundwater yields that make the region attractive to irrigators, and these same features make the Daly River an area of high ecological and cultural significance.

http://www.clw.csiro.au/publications/science/index.html