Attachment 6
Testimonial snapshots
This is the first time an Australian river has reversed salinity levels to become fresh. (the
Australian Water Association judges, in awarding the Department of Water the 2014
National Research Innovation Award.)
“The Denmark River Salinity Recovery Project can, quite rightly and proudly, be recognised
as what we believe to be a unique example of what can be achieved with sustained
commitment towards an environmental goal. There would probably not be many people
around today that would have publicly stated 20 years ago that this could be achieved. To
that end, the application should be acknowledged such that others can learn of the project
and be celebrated as an example for others to follow.” (Dale Stewart, CEO, Shire of
Denmark, 25/06/13)
“The work undertaken by the Department of Water, the community and partners including
South Coast NRM to reduce salinity levels in the Denmark River is consistent with the Water
Theme Aspirational Goal of the Regional NRM Strategy.” (Carl Beck, CEO, South Coast
Natural Resource Management Inc, 09/07/13)
“The Western Australian Department of Water is a worthy recipient and has demonstrated a
commitment to excellence that stands out amongst a dynamic field of Australia’s elite.”
(Australian Business Awards Program Director, Tara Johnson on DoW winning an
Australian Business Award for Environmental Sustainability, July 2013).
“Long-term recovery from secondary (dryland) salinisation of streams has few examples.
…Similarly, high levels of highly targeted reforestation with commercial eucalypt plantations
in the upper Denmark River catchment in Western Australia appear to have reversed salinity
trends in that river system.” (The Australian Government’s State of the Environment
Report 2011).
“A planned approach is exemplified by work in the Denmark River catchment in Western
Australia, where stream salinity caused by past clearing for agriculture has been reversed by
targeted reafforestation in the upper catchment, thereby reducing groundwater recharge and
so reducing saline groundwater discharge into the streams.” (Institute of Foresters of
Australia’s policy statement 5.7, Dryland Salinity Mitigation and Trees, 2011)
“The establishment of timber plantations helps to restore the hydrological balance that
existed prior to tree clearing. This has been documented in both the Denmark and Collie
River catchments in Western Australia.” (Planning Plantations website, Australian Local
Government Association, 2010)
“In the case of the Denmark River catchment on the South Coast of Western Australia,
large-scale profit-driven adoption of blue gums has transformed the region, and turned
around salinity trends in the river, but this has not been repeated elsewhere at the same
scale.” (Kevin Goss, CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Plant-based
Management of Dryland Salinity, UWA in the article, Integrated Forestry on Farmland,
2007)
“Nonetheless, trees can play an important and effective role and can be an attractive option
(often among many) because they can provide both income and flexibility for farmers and
environmental benefits for the wider public. As an example, salinity in the Denmark River of
south-west of Western Australia has been reduced since 1991, due to groundwater
approaching equilibrium following clearing and to the groundwater lowering effects of
plantation forestry from 1988. …The important question is whether this integration of forestry
with other salinity management measures can be repeated in other catchments.” (Focus on
Salt, the national newsletter of salinity research and development, March 2007).
“This (Denmark River) is the first major catchment in WA where there is a downward trend in
salinity as a result of direct intervention through on-ground works — primarily revegetation
and commercial forestry since 1988. If the trend continues, the Denmark River could
potentially be a major water source for the Denmark–Albany region.” (Dr John Williams,
award-winning environmental scientist in his article “Salt of the Earth” in the book In
the Living Forest, 2005.)
“This is the first time in Australia that a major river which had become too salty is showing
salinity reversal. More recently, it has been community and Government actions that have
helped bring about reductions in the river’s salinity.”(Former Premier Geoff Gallop, 23
March 2004).