A day in the life of a hydrologist in South Australia
In a state as dry as South Australia, hydrologists perform the robust and evidence-based science needed to help secure our water future.
Hydrologists study the distribution, movement and quality of the state’s water resources, and act as the interpreters and communicators of water information.
This information informs important water management decisions and is made available to water operators, water resource managers, and the public.
What are water resources? They are the rivers, lakes, wetlands, groundwater, rainfall and dams that we rely on for our survival, livelihoods, and the health of our ecosystems.
Now you know how important hydrologists are, let’s meet one! Dr Daniel McCullough is a Principal Hydrologist at the Department for Environment and Water (DEW).
What led you to a career in hydrology?
“My first roles were in water treatment, focusing on drinking water and industrial water. Through those roles I gained an interest in water resources,” Daniel said.
“This led me to start at DEW in water monitoring up in the Riverland and from there I moved into the surface water science team, which I’ve worked in ever since.”
Daniel has always had an interest in water science, so working as a hydrologist has been a great fit. He not only enjoys the variety of tasks but also the collaboration it involves.
"I find it rewarding collaborating with other scientists - including hydrogeologists and ecologists - and operations, policy, and water resource managers," he said.
"I've been able to see projects through from start to finish and see my work make a real difference to water management within the state."
What are your main tasks as a hydrologist?
"Modelling of the state's water resource systems is one of the primary tasks I'm involved with at DEW," Daniel said.
A water resource system is the combination of natural features like rivers, wetlands and groundwater, along with infrastructure such as dams and pipelines.
Daniel explained that, "a model is simply a way of representing a system by converting rainfall or inflow into outflow. But how to model the system will depend on what information we want."
"For instance, if we want to find out how much water will flow through a river catchment after rainfall, representing the catchment with a single equation might be sufficient," he said.
"However, if we want a detailed understanding of where and how floodwaters will inundate a floodplain, a complex model with terrain elevations and other features may be needed."
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What tasks do you find the most challenging?
"Answering public enquiries about water resources can pose some interesting challenges, as the questions can be quite left field," Daniel said.
"We recently had a question around whether a patch of floodplain in the Riverland was inundated during a 1955 flood and to what height.
"To provide an answer, we needed to refer to a number of different sources, both historical and recent, to provide the estimates. This required some outside of the box thinking."
What is a standout project you have worked on?
"One of the major projects I have worked on is the South Australian Riverland Floodplains Integrated Infrastructure Program," Daniel said.
"This involved the design and construction of infrastructure at the Pike and Katarapko floodplains to improve operations and environmental outcomes."
Daniel provided the bulk of the surface water modelling, which was used for designing the infrastructure, ecological analyses, and informing the development of operational plans.
What is the main challenge for water management moving forward?
"A changing climate will be one of the biggest challenges to managing water resources into the future," Daniel said.
"Climate change is already having an effect on water resource availability, which in turn affects the water available for humans and the environment."
Daniel is currently working on a project that is investigating the impact of climate change on the amount of streamflow and groundwater recharge that is generated by rainfall.
Groundwater recharge is the natural process where water soaks into the soil and moves down through rock layers to refill aquifers.
The project, funded by the National Water Grid Fund, will be vital for future water management planning for the state.
Main image: Dr Daniel McCullough with former DEW hydrologists Matt Gibbs and Tom Stewart.