Roaded catchments for farm water supplies

During the years 1948-51, the West Australian Public Works Department carried out a programme of drought relief storages in the south-eastern wheatbelt. These were in the nature of key storages and it was essential that they should contain water in the poor rainfall years when the farmers\u27 supplies had failed. Many old Government dams were enlarged and rehabilitated in this period, and a unique opportunity presented itself to study the causes of success or failure in the older schemes in order to develop and improve the new works. An energetic team of Departmental engineers worked on this programme and all assisted in developing what has become known as the roaded catchment which was the outstanding achievement of this works programme