Farm dam project: improving water quality of dam through sustainable design principles

A partnership between Charles Sturt Farm and Facilities Operations has led to the delivery of the Wagga Farm Healthy Dam project. This project aimed to demonstrate how grazing livestock can successfully integrate with farm dams to improve water quality and biodiversity around watering points, as well as improving the welfare and performance of stock grazing.

This project involved fencing to exclude stock from accessing the dam and surrounding inflow zone, and diverting stock to use water troughs, revegetation of the dam inflow zone, and monitoring of water quality and dam aquatic life pre and post implementation. The project also has the potential for integration into learning and teaching applications by fostering greater understanding of sustainable water management principles within agricultural areas. The area has already seen improvements in health, with monitoring reports suggesting “increasing density of vegetation” throughout the area, as well as within the main drainage line.