AlPhipps
-My husband and I run a mixed grazing property in the Southern Riverina of NSW.

Bore water versus surface water

What is the difference between bore water and irrigation water and what to use best when thinking about quality, quantity and costs? We are very new to the water game and looking at future irrigation options, so any help is much appreciated.

1809 days ago

Both work well. Ensure your bore water isn't too salty but if it is you can implement a filter system to change the pH of the water. Ive used surface water, dams and tanks. Hope this helps
CarlyNoble | 1606 days

1 Answer

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Surface water is best in terms of quality however is not hugely reliable in terms of allocation. buying temporarily is an option but price can vary a lot, can be expensive as it is now or cheap in a flood. Bore water is reliable (100% allocation each year) if quality is good, sub 1000ppm tds or sodium content is best. Salinity and soil structure impacts need to be considered if planning to use lots of bore water. Especially if salinity is higher. Pumping costs need to be accounted for. $50-60/ML is fairly typical. Both would need to be purchased if you have no entitlement of either. I’d say $1500/ML+ for surface water and $2000/ML+ for bore water.

pretty deep topic but hopefully this explains a little.