Ord River
Encyclopedia
The Ord River is a 320-kilometre-long river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia
. It was named in honour of Harry Ord
, Governor of Western Australia from 1877 to 1880.
The headwaters of the Ord river are located below the 983-metre Mount Wells and initially flows east and around the edge of Purnululu National Park
before heading North through Lake Argyle
then passing west of Kununurra
and discharging into the Indian Ocean
in Cambridge Gulf.
The river has 35 tributaries
of which the five longest are Bow River
, Nicholson River, Dunham River
, Panton River
and Negri River
s.
The lower reaches of the river support an important wetland area known as the Ord River Floodplain
, a protected area which contains numerous mangrove forests, lagoons, creeks, flats and extensive floodplains.
William McMahon
. Allocation of farming land during Stage 1 of the project was completed in 1966. 30 farms produced mostly cotton, however pest problems soon became apparent. The early 1970s saw the application of large amounts of pesticide
s on crops. The primary pest was the caterpillar Helicoverpa armigera
which developed resistance to the pesticides. The resulting low crop yield
s combined with a drop in world cotton prices led to suspension of the commercial cotton industry in the region.
The scheme created Lake Argyle
, which is Australia's largest dam, covering an area of 741 km². Lake Kununurra
was also constructed as part of the project. Associated wetland areas have been preserved within the Lakes Argyle and Kununurra Ramsar Site
.
ORIS provides water for irrigation
to over 117 km² of farmland and there are plans to extend the scheme to allow irrigation of 440 km² in the near future. The dam also generates power for the local community of Kununurra
. By 2009 more than 60 different crops were grown in the Ord catchment area. One third of the area is used for sugar cane cultivation.
. It consists of a new 36 MW hydro electric power station at Lake Argyle
interconnected, by lengthy 132 kV transmission lines, with existing diesel fuelled power systems at the Argyle diamond mine
and the Kununurra township. The scheme can currently only produce 1% of the power the Snowy Mountains Scheme
produces. The power station was constructed from 1995 to 1996.
in the lower reaches of the river was good and that planned activities were not an ecological threat. Salinity and erosion are also becoming an issue in the area, due to the rising of the water table in the area. The use of groundwater drains
has been suggested by hydrologist Dr Tony Smith, as a possible remedy to salinity problems.
Some concerns have been raised that the large body of water created by the dam could attract Asian insects and birds which may transmit dangerous viruses such as avian influenza.
Like so many other experiments in tropical agriculture the scheme initially failed because of difficulties growing crops and attack from pests. Today the irrigated areas successfully produce a variety of fruits and vegetables, with the most successful being sandalwood.
The site forms part of the Ord Irrigation Area
Important Bird Area
(IBA), so identified by BirdLife International
because of its importance for wild birds, especially estrildid finch
es.
where it is exported to a Korean-owned food manufacturing plant in Surabaya
, Indonesia
. Fruit and vegetables are sold to domestic markets and are trucked to all capital cities. The ORIS is also home to the largest commercial Indian Sandalwood
plantations in the world.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. It was named in honour of Harry Ord
Harry Ord
Major-General Sir Harry St. George Ord GCMG, CB, RE, was born on 4 August 1819 in North Cray, Kent, England. He was the son of Henry Gough Ord and grandson of Craven Ord of Greenstead Hall, Essex, a prominent antiquarian.-Education and career:...
, Governor of Western Australia from 1877 to 1880.
The headwaters of the Ord river are located below the 983-metre Mount Wells and initially flows east and around the edge of Purnululu National Park
Purnululu National Park
Purnululu National Park is a national park in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 2003.-Location:...
before heading North through Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle is Australia's second largest artificial lake by volume. It is part of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and is located near the East Kimberley town of Kununurra...
then passing west of Kununurra
Kununurra, Western Australia
Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley Region approximately from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation scheme....
and discharging into the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
in Cambridge Gulf.
The river has 35 tributaries
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of which the five longest are Bow River
Bow River (Kimberley region, Western Australia)
Bow River is a 148 km long tributary of the Ord River in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. The river was named by pastoralist Michael Durack in 1882 after a river in his homeland of County Galway, Ireland....
, Nicholson River, Dunham River
Dunham River
Dunham River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The river rises between the Durack Range and the O'Donnell Range then flows north west parallel with the Great Northern Highway to the East and the Bedford Stock Route to the West...
, Panton River
Panton River
Panton River is a river in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The river rises below Alice Hill and it flows in an easterly direction before discharging into the Ord River on the southern edge of Purnululu National Park....
and Negri River
Negri River
The Negri River is a tributary of the Lozna River in Romania.-References:* Administraţia Naţională Apelor Române - Cadastrul Apelor - Bucureşti* Institutul de Meteorologie şi Hidrologie - Rîurile României - Bucureşti 1971-Maps:...
s.
The lower reaches of the river support an important wetland area known as the Ord River Floodplain
Ord River Floodplain
The Ord River floodplain is the floodplain of the lower Ord River in the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley, in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. It lies within the Victoria Bonaparte IBRA bioregion and contains river, seasonal creek, tidal mudflat and floodplain wetlands, with...
, a protected area which contains numerous mangrove forests, lagoons, creeks, flats and extensive floodplains.
Ord River Irrigation Scheme
The Ord River Irrigation Scheme (ORIS) was constructed on the river in 1963 and opened on 30 June 1972 by Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
William McMahon
William McMahon
Sir William "Billy" McMahon, GCMG, CH , was an Australian Liberal politician and the 20th Prime Minister of Australia...
. Allocation of farming land during Stage 1 of the project was completed in 1966. 30 farms produced mostly cotton, however pest problems soon became apparent. The early 1970s saw the application of large amounts of pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
s on crops. The primary pest was the caterpillar Helicoverpa armigera
Helicoverpa armigera
The cotton bollworm, corn earworm or Old World bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, is a moth, the larvae of which feed on a wide range of plants, including many important cultivated crops. It is a major pest in cotton and one of the most polyphagous and cosmopolitan pest species...
which developed resistance to the pesticides. The resulting low crop yield
Crop yield
In agriculture, crop yield is not only a measure of the yield of cereal per unit area of land under cultivation, yield is also the seed generation of the plant itself...
s combined with a drop in world cotton prices led to suspension of the commercial cotton industry in the region.
The scheme created Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle is Australia's second largest artificial lake by volume. It is part of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and is located near the East Kimberley town of Kununurra...
, which is Australia's largest dam, covering an area of 741 km². Lake Kununurra
Lake Kununurra
Lake Kununurra is a long linear lake in the Ord River valley formed in 1963 by the construction of the Ord Diversion Dam in Kununurra, northern Western Australia, which was built to supply water to the Ord River Irrigation Area. The lake stretches for upstream from the Diversion Dam at towards...
was also constructed as part of the project. Associated wetland areas have been preserved within the Lakes Argyle and Kununurra Ramsar Site
Lakes Argyle and Kununurra Ramsar Site
The Lakes Argyle and Kununurra Ramsar Site comprises an extensive system of artificial freshwater reservoirs, with their associated permanent wetlands, formed by damming the Ord River in the eastern part of the Kimberley Region of northern Western Australia. The reservoirs include Lake Argyle and...
.
ORIS provides water for irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
to over 117 km² of farmland and there are plans to extend the scheme to allow irrigation of 440 km² in the near future. The dam also generates power for the local community of Kununurra
Kununurra, Western Australia
Kununurra is a town in far northern Western Australia located at the eastern extremity of the Kimberley Region approximately from the border with the Northern Territory. Kununurra was initiated to service the Ord River Irrigation scheme....
. By 2009 more than 60 different crops were grown in the Ord catchment area. One third of the area is used for sugar cane cultivation.
Power generation
The Ord River Dam Hydro Scheme is a privately funded, owned and operated power system in the East Kimberley region of Western AustraliaKimberley region of Western Australia
The Kimberley is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the northern part of Western Australia, bordered on the west by the Indian Ocean, on the north by the Timor Sea, on the south by the Great Sandy and Tanami Deserts, and on the east by the Northern Territory.The region...
. It consists of a new 36 MW hydro electric power station at Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle
Lake Argyle is Australia's second largest artificial lake by volume. It is part of the Ord River Irrigation Scheme and is located near the East Kimberley town of Kununurra...
interconnected, by lengthy 132 kV transmission lines, with existing diesel fuelled power systems at the Argyle diamond mine
Argyle diamond mine
The Argyle Diamond Mine is a diamond mine located in the East Kimberley region in the remote north of Western Australia. Argyle is the largest diamond producer in the world by volume, although due to the low proportion of gem-quality diamonds, is not the leader by value. It is the only known...
and the Kununurra township. The scheme can currently only produce 1% of the power the Snowy Mountains Scheme
Snowy Mountains Scheme
The Snowy Mountains scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. It consists of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and was constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Chief engineer was Sir...
produces. The power station was constructed from 1995 to 1996.
Environmental effects
CSIRO research conducted in 2008 found that the water qualityWater quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
in the lower reaches of the river was good and that planned activities were not an ecological threat. Salinity and erosion are also becoming an issue in the area, due to the rising of the water table in the area. The use of groundwater drains
Watertable control
Watertable control is the practice of controlling the water table in agricultural land by subsurface drainage with proper criteria to improve the crop production.- Description and definitions :...
has been suggested by hydrologist Dr Tony Smith, as a possible remedy to salinity problems.
Some concerns have been raised that the large body of water created by the dam could attract Asian insects and birds which may transmit dangerous viruses such as avian influenza.
Like so many other experiments in tropical agriculture the scheme initially failed because of difficulties growing crops and attack from pests. Today the irrigated areas successfully produce a variety of fruits and vegetables, with the most successful being sandalwood.
The site forms part of the Ord Irrigation Area
Ord Irrigation Area Important Bird Area
The Ord Irrigation Area Important Bird Area is an area of land used for irrigated agriculture along the Ord River in the vicinity of the town of Kununurra in the Kimberley region of north-western Australia...
Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
(IBA), so identified by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
because of its importance for wild birds, especially estrildid finch
Estrildid finch
The estrildid finches are small passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They can be classified as the family Estrildidae , or as a sub-group within the family Passeridae, which also includes the true sparrows....
es.
Logistics
Much of the produce is exported to South East Asia. Sugar from the ORIS is trucked to WyndhamWyndham, Western Australia
Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, located on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1885 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a...
where it is exported to a Korean-owned food manufacturing plant in Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Fruit and vegetables are sold to domestic markets and are trucked to all capital cities. The ORIS is also home to the largest commercial Indian Sandalwood
Santalum album
Santalum album or Indian sandalwood is a small tropical tree, the most commonly known source of sandalwood. This species has been utilised, cultivated and traded for many years, some cultures placing great significance on its fragrant and medicinal qualities. For these reasons it has been...
plantations in the world.
See also
- Irrigation in AustraliaIrrigation in AustraliaIrrigation in Australia is a widespread practice to supplement low rainfall levels in Australia with water from other sources to assist in the production of crops or pasture. As the driest inhabited continent, irrigation is required in many areas for production of crops for domestic and export use...
- List of rivers of Australia
- List of watercourses in Western Australia
External links
- NT Country Hour - 29/8/2002: Katherine - a future rail transport hub? - ABC.
- Tropical Forestry Services which harvests Indian SandalwoodSantalum albumSantalum album or Indian sandalwood is a small tropical tree, the most commonly known source of sandalwood. This species has been utilised, cultivated and traded for many years, some cultures placing great significance on its fragrant and medicinal qualities. For these reasons it has been...
in the ORIS. - Kununurra Historical Society Inc. Archive, Library, Museum & Research Profile on Flickr (Many Ord Resources)