A six metre deep gully had formed following the collapse of the stream bank at Three Mile Creek. PHOTO: Brooke Collett

Last eight projects completed

Eight projects that were approved under the last round of grants offered by the LDC project have been finalised.

The aim of the grants was to help graziers implement changes to better manage their land and businesses. Approved projects included fencing, piping and troughing, small gully remediation and whoa boy construction activities.

Projects received financial support in the range of $5000 to $25,000 through the LDC’s BBB Grazier Support activity area.

Key criteria included demonstrating how land condition and the water quality leaving the property would be improved. 

Applications were assessed by a panel consisting of a grazier (from outside of the BBB region), and NRM and government representatives.

There isn’t enough space to provide an overview of every project, however here’s a snapshot of works carried out on Todsure, at Scottville, near Collinsville.

Grazier Barry Collett shows the depth of the gully. PHOTO: Brooke Collett

An aerial view of where works were carried out at Todsure. Three Mile Creek is to the left.

Todsure:

Graziers: Barry and Brooke Collett

Barry is also a earthworks contractor and carried out the works himself, using his own machinery.

The problem:

The stream bank at Three Mile Creek collapsed about nine years ago, and over the years had formed a six-metre deep gully which was working back towards the homestead and other infrastructure. 

The soil is a texture contrast soil with several layers of sodic clays exposed. The topsoil is shallow, about 30cm. With no bedrock,  if left untreated, the erosion would continue to deepen and widen. The catchment for the gully is 33ha.

Treatment:

A 2.5ML dam was constructed higher in the catchment to capture upslope water. A 85m long bywash and a 310m long diversion bank were also constructed to protect the integrity of the dam wall and to spread water across the landscape.

The gully was shaped and battered during the dam construction. Following construction, the topsoil was spread over the dam wall to improve revegetation efforts. Exclusion fencing is also being installed.

Key Outcomes:

  • Stabilised, and reduced erosion.
  • Increased soil water-holding capacity.
  • Cattle will be excluded from the remediated area for a full wet season (from first rains to about April) to allow recovery of pasture and to allow the earthworks to stabilise. 
  • Cattle will only be grazed in the project paddock in the dry season based on a forage budget – match stocking rate with the carrying capacity of the land.
  • Monitor what is going on in the landscape and adjust grazing plan accordingly.

Todsure is a member of  LDC’s Scottville Cluster Group, which consists of six properties working together to address small-scale erosion issues on their properties. 

Click here for more information on the Scottville Cluster Group, and what Todsure achieved.

A 2.5ML dam has been constructed to capture upslope water and to protect the reshaped and battered gully.

Looking towards the dam bywash.

Dam bywash rock armouring to protect the integrity of the dam and dam wall.

LDC_s Rodger Walker and Todsure’s Barry Collett standing on the new dam wall.

Top of former gully (it was up to six metres deep, 90 metres long, and three to six metres wide) looking downstream to Three Mile Creek. A total of 0.7ha of reshaping works were undertaken.

Looking west across the former gully. Riparian exclusion fencing will be built.