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Providing long-term drought resilience strategies and implementation.
We have a small cattle property at the beginning of Granite Belt on the Southern Darling Downs. It relied on an intermittent creek and several dams for stock water. In 2019, we received 120 mm of rain for the entire year, the creek and all dams dried up, and we had to completely restock. We had attempted drilling a number of subs — 100 — meter bores with no success. We had been told by a number of people (including drillers) that bore drilling was a pointless task in the area.
That said, I’d seen that Sustainable Water had had some success in the area using multiple sources of data to locate potential deep bore sites. I contracted Jim Conley and Ross Martiensen to survey the area using geophysical data sets for the property, the data sources were then overlaid on a property map and a number of high probability drilling sites were identified. Onsite passive seismic survey data was collected at the identified sites. We elected to drill at the highest point on the property amongst granite boulders. At 350 meters we found water — potential to produce approx. 40,000 litres per hour. Water quality is very good — crystal clear with low levels of mineralisation. Water is standing at 20 meters, and we have installed a solar pump and tank (pumping at around 20,000 litres per day at this stage) and we will reticulated water to multiple stock watering points on the property.
I believe we would not have had the success we did without Sustainable Water’s adoption of scientific methods of locating high probability drilling zones, combined with significantly increased drilling depths for our area. Jim and Ross were fantastic to deal with — very professional and reliable. They appear to have built up some unique IP that warrants being widely adopted. I’d highly recommended Sustainable Water.
That said, I’d seen that Sustainable Water had had some success in the area using multiple sources of data to locate potential deep bore sites. I contracted Jim Conley and Ross Martiensen to survey the area using geophysical data sets for the property, the data sources were then overlaid on a property map and a number of high probability drilling sites were identified. Onsite passive seismic survey data was collected at the identified sites. We elected to drill at the highest point on the property amongst granite boulders. At 350 meters we found water — potential to produce approx. 40,000 litres per hour. Water quality is very good — crystal clear with low levels of mineralisation. Water is standing at 20 meters, and we have installed a solar pump and tank (pumping at around 20,000 litres per day at this stage) and we will reticulated water to multiple stock watering points on the property.
I believe we would not have had the success we did without Sustainable Water’s adoption of scientific methods of locating high probability drilling zones, combined with significantly increased drilling depths for our area. Jim and Ross were fantastic to deal with — very professional and reliable. They appear to have built up some unique IP that warrants being widely adopted. I’d highly recommended Sustainable Water.
D.S. The Granite Belt - The Glen, QLD
The Glen producer D.C. had battled through droughts reliant on surface water. He was prompted to try the Sustainable Water Pty Ltd after multiple failed drilling attempts and has since been able to drill enough water for stock and domestic purposes across the 10,000 — acre breeder country featuring granite and traprock derived soils.
"I've always regarded underground water exploration or the harnessing of underground reserves as always being a certain amount of 'black magic' involved. "The Granite Belt has always been noted as somewhere where there is no underground water, but these people have disproved that, and it's transformational.
"I've always regarded underground water exploration or the harnessing of underground reserves as always being a certain amount of 'black magic' involved. "The Granite Belt has always been noted as somewhere where there is no underground water, but these people have disproved that, and it's transformational.
D .C. The Glen, QLD
My wife and I have run the Waterford Grazing Company for over 30 years. We have 5,065 hectares in Capella, Qld where we breed and fatten beef cattle. We also grow some forage and grain crops.
We only have one bore, and the rest of our water supply is from dams.
When full most of our dams are good for three years, but four dry years in a row were starting to tell on the dams with black soil catchments, particularly on the southern end of the place where the house is.
I read about the Sustainable Water company in the Queensland Country Life, and I spoke to various people about finding underground water and learned of some successful results in the Gemfields area using the Sustainable Water company.
After getting the quote, we had a few conversations with Jim Conley, that gave us the confidence to go ahead with the initial desktop investigation done.
The Sustainable Water team gave us three spots to choose from that were nearly all in ideal places, so we decided to go the next step and get the seismic work done, which was very detailed and promising. We reckoned that using data that had been gathered over a period of years, and some modern technology, would give us a much better chance of a good result. We were very hopeful of getting good water.
To get a good supply of around 3,000+ gallons per hour on top of a hill means we can gravity feed the water to the southern half of the place and water won’t be a problem if the rainfall doesn’t supply enough water for our dams.
Many people have now heard of our success, and I passed the company’s phone number on whenever they have raised the discussion. I told people that the company was good to deal with and had done everything they said they would and were happy to explain everything.
The service we got from Sustainable Water Solutions was very prompt and everything was well explained, and they were happy answer any questions we had. They really wanted to see us get good water nearly as much as we did!
We only have one bore, and the rest of our water supply is from dams.
When full most of our dams are good for three years, but four dry years in a row were starting to tell on the dams with black soil catchments, particularly on the southern end of the place where the house is.
I read about the Sustainable Water company in the Queensland Country Life, and I spoke to various people about finding underground water and learned of some successful results in the Gemfields area using the Sustainable Water company.
After getting the quote, we had a few conversations with Jim Conley, that gave us the confidence to go ahead with the initial desktop investigation done.
The Sustainable Water team gave us three spots to choose from that were nearly all in ideal places, so we decided to go the next step and get the seismic work done, which was very detailed and promising. We reckoned that using data that had been gathered over a period of years, and some modern technology, would give us a much better chance of a good result. We were very hopeful of getting good water.
To get a good supply of around 3,000+ gallons per hour on top of a hill means we can gravity feed the water to the southern half of the place and water won’t be a problem if the rainfall doesn’t supply enough water for our dams.
Many people have now heard of our success, and I passed the company’s phone number on whenever they have raised the discussion. I told people that the company was good to deal with and had done everything they said they would and were happy to explain everything.
The service we got from Sustainable Water Solutions was very prompt and everything was well explained, and they were happy answer any questions we had. They really wanted to see us get good water nearly as much as we did!
Russell Purvis, Capella, QLD
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