Rainwater harvesting suitability of ground tanks located on stock watering places across Western NSW

Abstract

ABSTRACT A stock watering place (SWP) is a type of travelling stock reserve, and Western Local Land Services (WLLS) is the controlling authority of SWPs in the semi-arid Western region of New South Wales, Australia. Over half SWPs have ground tanks that were installed in the 1800s to provide water for travelling stock. The location of many SWP ground tanks is thought to have been influenced by traditional Aboriginal knowledge, however, their position for capturing contemporary surface flows has not previously been assessed. This study aims to use multicriteria analysis within a Geographic Information System (GIS) to investigate whether SWP ground tanks are at the most suitable rainwater harvesting (RWH) location. ArcGIS was used to analyse data to identify RWH suitability based on slope, soil group, and drainage density. These layers were then weighted and combined to produce a final RWH suitability map. Results show that most (50.7%) ground tanks are in high RWH suitability locations, 47.9% are in medium RWH suitability, 1.4% are in low suitability, and none are in unsuitable locations. These results indicate that 1800s RWH suitability selection methods were highly effective. The findings of this study will contribute to the WLLS SWP knowledge base and will assist in prioritising SWPs for works to improve RWH efficiency, thereby ensuring reliable stock water on SWPs.