Figure 40 : Riplines post 1st wet season with limited seca and butterfly pea established but no grasses
Figure 41 : Bank & channel April 2018 ( left ) and May 2022 ( centre ), stabilised minor scour of upper channel May 2022 ( right )
CONCLUSIONS :
• Similar to the broodmare site , the diversion bank was successful in reducing flow onto the active gully heads , which became increasingly stable and grassed up over time . At 1300m in length , this bank was a less viable and less cost effective option for the scale of gullying and sediment loss at the site . There were some initial erosion issues due to the sheer volume of water flowing along the bank . The implemented grazing practices , however , allowed the banks and channels to be fully grassed up by May 2022 .
• Head cuts , and the gully channels became rounded , stabilised and fully vegetated with no obvious impacts of the planned grazing regime on the stabilising processes .
• The implementation of the planned grazing regime did not have any obvious impacts on pasture biomass production and vegetation cover across all areas of the project site but pasture composition remained relatively similar over the project period , with no decrease in Indian couch dominance .
• The construction of the stock dam , while disruptive for the DAF monitoring program , proved positive , as it captured any ongoing sediment losses from the site .
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