Michael and Helen travelled to the Qld sugarcane region around the Burdekin River. In wet season, this river handles a massive amount of water that empties onto the Great Barrier Reef. In dry, the Burdekin calms down to a sedate pace. Cane growers have relied on both the river and groundwater to sustain their crops, but the water table is rising, salt water is intruding, and agricultural run-off is affecting water quality. We meet growers and soil scientists first hand.