After the wet and rainy weather we have seen recently and over the past 12-24 months, the dangers of having bare soil and eroding gullies are increasingly important. What can start as a small problem during the drought years can quickly escalate into a major problem after a few heavy or consistent downpours.
One landholder in Lower Burnett Subcatchment, just east of Paradise Dam has found the Reef Rescue funding he received this financial year to be particularly helpful this year.
These photos show the before and after.
The problem was that the soluble subsoil was quickly and easily being washed once the surface soil had all washed and bare soil was showing. The solution was a combination of ripping lines across the slope, battering the sharp banks where the erosion was active and spreading hay across the flatter areas and rocks with plenty of soil in the deeper gullies.
With more rainfall predicted this week, the Bisset and Hatch Bluegrass seeds that were sown will have plenty of moisture to get growing and hold on to the soil.