Bores

Groundwater levels in the Beacon River Catchment have received some of the most detailed investigations anywhere in the wheatbelt of Western Australia.

We are very fortunate to have data dating back to1986 when Richard George, Peter Frantom and Ron Colman from the Merredin office of the Department of Agriculture undertook the first significant study of groundwater levels in this catchment. 15 piezometers (monitoring bores) identified by the prefix BE (Beacon) were developed in the Beacon River Catchment above Job’s Lake. 14 piezometers (now identified as bores LM01-LM14) were developed at the same time in the Welbungin Catchment below Lake McDermott. In 1990 George and Frantom reported their findings in a publication entitled “Preliminary Groundwater and Salinity Investigation in the Eastern Wheatbelt – 3. Welbungin and Beacon River Catchments”.

In 1991 a series of piezometers identified by the prefix BN (Beacon North) was developed by the Mt Marshall LCDC in the upper reaches of the Beacon River where farmers were becoming increasingly interested in monitoring groundwater levels which had been shown to be steadily rising downstream.

In 1997 an expansion of the “LM” series was undertaken by the LCDC with the development of piezometers immediately north of the Lake McDermott Reserve.

In 1998, 4 piezometers were installed in the Beacon townsite by the LCDC, followed in July 2000 by a further 17 under the Rural Towns Program, another initiative of the Department of Agriculture. Beacon Townsite bores are identified by the prefix BT.

In December 2000, in order to establish baseline data for the Beacon River Catchment Salinity Management Project Feasibility Study another 55 piezometers (BR prefix) were developed throughout the catchment by Geoff Ingleton from Wheatbelt Water Drilling.