Irrigation - Tasmania
Tasmania
Extent of irrigation in Tasmania
The overall area irrigated in Tasmania has decreased by 3,700 hectares or 7% from 1992/93 (55,453 ha) to 1996/97 (51,738 ha). The extent of change in irrigated area varies significantly across river basins, with an increase observed in some basins.
The area irrigated has been estimated using 2 methods - 1) by aggregating ABS SLA statistics to AWRC Basins; and 2) using ANCID Australian Irrigator Provider Benchmarking Statistics reporting area irrigated in 48 systems nationally.
Because irrigation systems reported by ANCID may straddle several AWRC Basins, area irrigated is reported for all Basins and Systems in each State. The difference between the reported State / Territory totals in 1) and 2) shows the extent of irrigated area not reported by ANCID in addition to irrigation occurring outside designated systems.
| Basin | Area Irrigated 1983/84 (ha) | Area Irrigated 1992/93 (ha) | Area Irrigated 1996/97 (ha) | Change in Area Irrigated 1992/93 - 1996/97 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAS | 39,904 | 55,454 | 51,738 | -6.70 |
| Flinders - Cape Barren Islands | 0 | 936 | 0 | -100.00 |
| East Coast | 1,204 | 2,116 | 2,474 | 16.92 |
| Coal River | 207 | 553 | 575 | 3.91 |
| Derwent River | 5,900 | 5,570 | 5,671 | 1.80 |
| Kingston Coast | 354 | 268 | 183 | -31.85 |
| Huon River | 1,096 | 1,213 | 917 | -24.37 |
| South-West Coast | 1,202 | 1,396 | 1,023 | -26.73 |
| Gordon River | 997 | 647 | 796 | 22.97 |
| King-Henty Rivers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Pieman River | 695 | 830 | 839 | 1.12 |
| Sandy Cape Coast | 387 | 670 | 624 | -6.92 |
| Arthur River | 1,022 | 1,559 | 1,481 | -5.04 |
| King Island | 87 | 987 | 61 | -93.82 |
| Smithton-Burnie Coast | 6,278 | 8,810 | 8,283 | -5.98 |
| Forth River | 2,211 | 2,253 | 2,391 | 6.16 |
| Mersey River | 4,809 | 5,432 | 5,584 | 2.80 |
| Rubicon River | 2,529 | 2,304 | 2,633 | 14.29 |
| Tamar River | 8,266 | 14,601 | 12,461 | -14.65 |
| Piper-Ringarooma Rivers | 2,646 | 5,268 | 5,708 | 8.35 |
ABS AgStats 97, 93 & 84 (concorded to 1996/97 SLA boundaries by BRS)
The total consumption of water for irrigation in Tasmania represents 59% of the total water use in the State. In 1996/97, an estimated 276 GL of water was used to irrigate 51,738 ha. This represents 4% of the total volume of water used for irrigation in Australia and 1.5% of the total national irrigated area. Pasture accounts for 48% of the irrigated area, vegetables 30% and fruit 5%. Cereals account for 4% and other crops about 13%.
Since 1983/84 the total irrigated area has increased by 11,835 ha, or 30% and water usage has increased by 180 GL/yr or by almost three-fold.
The gross value of irrigated production in 1996/97 was estimated at $296 million, representing 3.6% of the national total.
On average, 13% of the total area within the irrigation water supply systems in Tasmania is irrigated each year. The extent of irrigation in a particular year depends on a number of factors including fluctuating commodity prices, climate, production potential of the land and water availability.
| Irrigation System | Total Area in System 1999/2000 (ha) | Actual Area Irrigated 1999/2000 (ha) | Area Irrigated (10 Year Average) (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAS | 39,440 | 6,232 | 5,183 |
| Cressy-Longford Irrigation Scheme | 18,132 | 3,531 | 2,593 |
| South East Irrigation Scheme | 15,077 | 1,400 | 1,350 |
| Winnaleah Irrigation Scheme | 6,231 | 1,301 | 1,240 |
ANCID 2000
Further information
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