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Home to Australia's largest water source.

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The river spans across the country of Australia, covering 6 towns from the North of the Northern Territory to the South of South Australia.

The basin contains two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River, hence it's name.

Area: 409,800 mi²

Length: 2.097 mi

It is located between flat plains and mountain sides.

The annual water flow rate is 22,000 gigaliters.

(Government, The Murray-Darling Basin, 2017)

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The basin is the largest geographical water source.

It is a dependable source for agriculture, irrigation, and the drinking supply.

11,500 gigaliters is used annually for industrial and irrigation purposes.

Major cash crops include rice and cotton.

The basin is home to 2 million people and a provider for 3 million people.

40% of Australia's farms are located on the river. That's 50,900 farms!

There has been a substantial decrease in water, quality, health, erosion, blue-green algal blossoms, invasive species, and salinity levels.

There has been an increase in climate variability and drought formation.

Wetlands, floodplains, and groundwater are all listed as critically endangered.

(Government, The Murray-Darling Basin, 2017)

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There is a debate on how to resource the water and the management of it's uses.

These long debates effect many towns.

There is a debate on how much funding should be granted for the fish recovery program.

Residents have little trust in the government, the legitimacy of solution programs, and lack public confidence due to water theft and corruption allegations.

(Government, The Murray-Darling Basin, 2017)

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The basin is mostly used for agriculture (40%) such as dairy farming and cotton production.

Industries rely heavily on the basin for production.

The basin is a source for maintaining it's biodiversity of rivers and floodplains.

The basin is used for forestry purposes such as timber harvesting and road construction.

It is also used for recreational purposes such as boating, camping, and fishing, resulting in an $8 billion tourist industry.

Mining and dam usage also rely on the basin.

(Government, Water Use and Distribution, 2017)

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The climate in Australia is at a constant change.

There has been an increase in drought occurrence and it's severity.

Less rainfall makes it more difficult for water storage.

The mouth of the basin is becoming impacted due to an increase in outflows.

The quantity of water resources are slowly diminishing.

The future holds for more dry, arid, hot weather.

(Government, 2017)

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Daily News - Murray-Darling report shows public authorities must take climate change risk seriously

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46 Native fish species

367 species of birds, 98 waterbird species, 35 species are endangered

85 mammal species, 20 species being extinct, and 16 species are endangered

53 frog species

46 snake species, 5 species being endangered

100 lizard species, 1 species being endangered

3 freshwater turtle species

124 macro-invertebrate families

With the decline in fish populations and species, this creates a potentially major risk on the ecological functioning of the basin

(Government, The Murray-Darling Basin, 2017)

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Murray-Darling Warning - Behind the News

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$22 billion worth of food

9,200 irrigated agricultural businesses

Major agricultural industry is cotton growing

Rice is the main cereal crop grown

There is large irrigation for grains

Home to water primrose, eucalyptus blossoms, citrus blossoms, wildflowers, and water lilies

Home to water hens, possums, geese, wombats, kangaroos, bearded dragons, and koalas

Large agricultural growth in apples, avocados, pistachios, eggplant, and grapes

(Government, Basic Facts for Kids, 2017)

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Food Production in the Murray–Darling Basin

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Water Availability, Access, and Quality 

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Water Availability, Access, and Quality 

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The basin is the allocation of state and federal government water holders.

They decide when, where, and how much water is released from the basin.

The use of dams, weirs, locks, pumps, and banks, water is time released to assure maximum benefits.

There are 3,000 water storages and management structures.

There has been an increase in water turbidity due to erosion.

Runoff from soil and plants are contaminating waterways.

The rate of flowing water has decreased.

(The Department of Water, 2005)

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The population of different species are declining.

Human interaction has drastically impacted the ecosystem of the river i.e.- population growth, farming, tourism, woodland cut downs, pollution, and increased waste.

Newer and introduced species are harming endangered plants.

Habitat deconstruction, fragmentation, and degradation are also impacting the ecosystem.

There is now poorer water quality.

New and introduced fish such as Carp and Mosquitoes are competing with native fish for food and survival.

(Government, The Murray-Darling Basin, 2017)

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The Water Act was presented in 2007 where it created sustainable diversion limits, environmental watering plans, quality and salinity management plans, and water trading rules.

The Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program was implemented to modernize irrigation infrastructure.

Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin is a program initiated on November 26, 2012, to address over-allocation.

The Water Amendment Act of 2012 created the Long-Term Average Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment.

The Water Amendment Act of 2013 created the Water for the Environmental Special Account.

(Government, The Murray-Darling Basin, 2017)

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The Basin Plan is an environmental plan to set limits on water that can be taken from from the basin annually, while leaving plenty to feed our rivers, wetlands, plants, and animals.

The plan was initiated for the protection and management of the Basin, as a whole system.

Its goal is to bring the river back to healthier levels while continuing to support farming and agriculture.

The Australian Government works with the Murray-Darling Basin states to create and deliver initiatives.

The Basin Plan will also strengthen the protection of environmental flows, strengthen compliance, improve outcomes for indigenous peoples, and improve the confidence in residents of the Northern Basin Review Data.

However, there are limitations with this plan; water limit agreements for the environment, infrastructure development, groundwater management, water quality maintenance, and water markets and trade.

(Government, A Plan for the Murray-Darling Basin, 2017)

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The Murray-Darling Basin is the largest and most complex river system in Australia.

It covers 1 million square kilometres of south-eastern Australia, across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.

Over the years, the combination of natural droughts and increasing human use of the waterways for agriculture, manufacturing and communities has led to a decline in the health of the Basin.

In 2012, there was widespread agreement across government that a plan was needed to manage our water carefully and protect the Basin for future generations. The Murray-Darling Basin Plan was developed to manage the Basin as a whole connected system.

The aim of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is to bring the Basin back to a healthier and sustainable level, while continuing to support farming and other industries for the benefit of the Australian community.

We are all impacted directly or indirectly by the Basin and what happens to it. It's our shared resource, so it's our shared responsibility to achieve a sustainably healthy river system for our current and future generations.

What's in the Plan

At its heart, the Basin Plan sets the amount of water that can be taken from the Basin each year, while leaving enough for our rivers, lakes and wetlands and the plants and animals that depend on them.

We know the Basin encompasses a complex network of people, industries and organisations with competing interests and this is why water needs to be managed carefully for future generations.

Managing water is complex. It is a partnership between:

the Australian Government

New South Wales

Queensland

South Australia

Victoria

Australian Capital Territory.

How water is managed

Adaptive management

A cornerstone of the strategy for managing water resources in the Basin is adaptive management - 'learning as you go' by trialling techniques, monitoring, and making changes as needed.

Water managers must be flexible and dynamic to achieve the best possible outcomes. This is the modern way of managing natural resources.

Adaptive management allows governments and communities to adjust their approach in response to current climatic conditions, new information and local knowledge when planning for the future.

The features of this approach are planning, management, monitoring and evaluation. Adaptation can happen at any one of these stages.

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The Murray-Darling Basin is the largest and most complex river system in Australia. It covers 1 million square kilometres of south-eastern Australia, across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.

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This plan focuses on northern New South Wales and southern Queensland, that was amended in 2018.

Under these projects, they will focus on compliance with water laws, social and economic impacts, establish a commissioner, improve outcomes for indigenous peoples, and confidence in data.

This plan is a compliment and supporter of the Basin Plan

(Government, Northern Basin Projects, 2017)

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The northern Murray-Darling Basin includes northern New South Wales and southern Queensland in a complex network of people and places, industries and organisations with many and varied needs.

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority conducted a four-year review into the northern Basin that resulted in a 70GL reduction to the water recovery target in the north, and the NSW and Queensland governments adopting a range of ' toolkit measures' with assistance from the Australian Government. The Basin Plan was amended in 2018 and at the time, the Basin Commitments Package was also announced.

The initiatives complement and support the implementation of the Basin Plan. The Basin Plan guides how water is managed and used sustainably in the Basin.

Toolkit

The toolkit includes:

Basin commitments package

The commitments package will assist to:

Over the coming years, Basin governments will work with local communities to ensure local knowledge and needs are considered in project design and delivery. Some initiatives have already begun, while others may take many years to complete.

Environmental projects

Initiatives to improve water delivery and water management include moving water through the river system more efficiently to where it needs to be and when it needs to be there.

These projects will include:

improved real-time management of environmental water flows (also called active management)

coordination and delivery of water for the environment

protecting habitats and promoting fish movement (such as fishways)

improved mechanisms around storing and releasing water to assist in achieving outcomes.

These improvements will benefit the northern Basin river system, improve the habitat for animals during dry times, and improve the health of rivers downstream.

Protecting water for the environment

A range of actions will strengthen compliance with water laws and increase the protection of water for the environment.

It is important that environmental water is protected, so it can be used to support special environmental sites in the northern Basin such as the Narran Lakes, Macquarie Marshes and Gwydir Wetlands.

This water also benefits fish, animals and plants that depend on healthy rivers to feed, nest and grow. The health of the system also underpins production, eco-tourism and community wellbeing

Cultural water

Water is vital to Aboriginal culture, spirituality, identity and wellbeing. Cultural flows in the northern Basin are water entitlements owned and managed by northern Basin First Nations.

Initiatives are underway to support cultural gatherings and the recreational use of rivers, including the recent announcement of a new weir to be built at Wilcannia, to be jointly funded by the NSW and Australian governments.

The Australian Government has committed $20 million over four years to support First Nations to plan and implement cultural water entitlements.

Social and economic support

The Basin Plan is a substantial reform. This reform has impacted on some communities in the northern Basin who have experienced changes in population, economic activity and employment.

Projects are being developed to assist northern Basin communities who have experienced change as a result of the Basin Plan.

Local engagement facilitators will work closely with the Collarenebri, Dirranbandi, St George and Warren communities to identify opportunities to support them during this change.

Gwydir constraints project

One of the potential projects in the northern Basin is the removal of constraints in the Gwydir, to improve delivery of water for the environment to the Gwydir wetlands near Moree.

Initiatives may include changes to physical features such as crossings and bridges.

Project design and delivery will involve the local community, led by the NSW government.

Northern Basin Commissioner

An independent Northern Basin Commissioner was appointed in 2018 as an advocate for northern Basin communities, and to collate technical and scientific information to improve governments' understanding of the river system in the northern Basin.

Who does what?

The states and the Australian government are responsible for developing and implementing toolkit measures.

The states, MDBA, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) and other agencies will work together to implement the toolkit.

The MDBA will provide advice on all measures and will coordinate a framework for the prioritisation of toolkit measures developed by the states.

The Australian Government will provide funding for both toolkit and commitment package measures.

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The northern Murray-Darling Basin includes northern New South Wales and southern Queensland in a complex network of people and places, industries and organisations with many and varied needs.

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State governments are creating plans that will have set rules and regulations on how water will be used at a local or catchment level.

The plan will cover compliance of water rules and policies, water protection, water quality and salinity, aboriginal values, measuring and monitoring, and climate variability.

The first stage in this plan is the preliminary and assist portion, the second stage is to asses, and the third and final stage will be to accredit these policies.

(Government, Water Resource Plans, 2017)

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Water resource plans are an integral part of implementing the Basin Plan. They set new rules on how much water can be taken from the system, ensuring the sustainable diversion limit is not exceeded over time.

Basin state governments are developing water resource plans. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is working closely with Basin state governments to ensure water resource plans meet the requirements of the Basin Plan and address the local requirements of water resource management.

Each water resource plan sets out the rules for how water is used at a local or catchment level, including new limits on how much water can be taken from the system, how much water will be made available to the environment, and how water quality standards can be met. Basin state governments are responsible for complying with water resource plans and accounting for water taken from the river system.

Water resource plans outline how each region aims to achieve community, environmental, economic and cultural outcomes and ensure that state water management rules meet the Basin Plan objectives. The plans reflect current arrangements that are working and include new arrangements that strengthen water management at a local level.

Getting the plans right can take time-local communities must have confidence that the plans are robust, high quality and adequately address local needs.

What's in a water resource plan?

Water resource plans cover a wide range of water management subjects, including:

More information

More information

Water resource plan progress

Water resource plans must be accredited by the Commonwealth Minister responsible for water. Basin state governments are responsible for developing plans and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority assesses the plans and provides advice for accreditation.

The water resource plan accreditation process includes a number of stages, for Basin state governments, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority and the Commonwealth Minister responsible for water. Much of the critical work for water resource planning happens in the development stages where plans are developed in consultation with communities and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to meet local water management needs and Basin Plan requirements.

The timeframe to complete water resource plans was determined in 2012. Six years on, we have a better understanding of the complexities of water management. Plans for each area must consider a range of detailed policy requirements and address the local context of water resource management, on-the-ground - this can be challenging.

Timeframe extension

The Commonwealth Minister responsible for water has granted timeframe extensions for some of the individual water resource plans.

Information on extensions granted is published on the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources website.

In late 2018, new regulations were passed under the Water Act 2007 that enabled Basin state governments to request an extension for up to two or up to 10 months. This is in recognition of the need for quality plans to be prepared with adequate consultation with all stakeholders and the extensive number of plans yet to be accredited.

Late last year the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council were updated on WRPs and contingencies. They agreed key WRP commitments will be in place from 1 July 2019.

Consistent with this Ministerial Council decision, Basin states and territory governments will enter into bilateral agreements with the Commonwealth to ensure key elements of the water resource plans are given effect from 1 July 2019 where WRPs are not accredited by that date. The agreements ensure that sustainable diversion limits and measures to protect and better manage environmental water are in place from 1 July 2019.

MDBA and NSW signed a bilateral agreement in February 2019 to bring key Basin Plan commitments into effect from 1 July 2019. This agreement promotes transparency and gives the MDBA and the community confidence in the consistent application of key Basin Plan elements across all NSW catchments. Read the bilateral agreements.

Basin governments are committed to ensuring stakeholders have the opportunity to comment on the development of the plans or state-based instruments that underpin a water resource plan. The introduction of a mechanism to manage necessary time extensions means the community can have confidence the plans will be robust, high quality and adequately reflect the local realities of water management.

Importantly, all Basin States are working closely with the MDBA to ensure that the new limits, Sustainable Diversion Limits, and protections for environmental water will be in place from 1 July 2019 as planned, and key Basin Plan outcomes will be delivered.

Managing water is complex. It depends on a partnership between the Australian Government, Basin state governments, and Basin communities. The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is working closely with Basin state governments, as they develop their water resource plans. This collaborative approach will make accreditation as efficient as possible.

The MDBA will continue to report regularly on the progress of water resource plan development and accreditation, and we are further increasing transparency by publishing all water resource plans we receive for assessment.

See the quarterly reports which lists all water resource plans at the preliminary assist stage

The following water resource plan draft packages have been submitted to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority for preliminary assessment:

Australian Capital Territory (surface water) - Australian Capital Territory

Australian Capital Territory (groundwater) - Australian Capital Territory

Gwydir (surface water) - New South Wales

Gwydir Alluvium (groundwater) - New South Wales

Lachlan (surface water) - New South Wales

Lachlan Alluvium (groundwater) - New South Wales

New South Wales Border Rivers (surface water) - New South Wales

Macquarie-Castlereagh (surface water) - New South Wales

Macquarie-Castlereagh Alluvium (groundwater) - New South Wales

Murrumbidgee Alluvium (groundwater) - New South Wales

Goulburn-Murray (groundwater) - Victoria

Northern Victoria (surface water) - Victoria

Victorian Murray (surface water) - Victoria

Basin state governments and Murray-Darling Basin Authority

Murray-Darling Basin Authority

Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority publishes quarterly reports that provide an in depth status of the progress of all water resource plans across the Basin. This webpage will be regularly updated to reflect water resource plan progress.

Water resource plan accreditation

Stage 1: Preliminary and assist

Basin state governments have completed risk assessments, started planning and determined the process for seeking input from the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

Basin state governments have been consulting with local communities, water users and peak bodies to ensure local needs are considered in any changes to regional water management through water resource plans.

This stage requires consultation with relevant Aboriginal Nations.

Basin state governments provide draft water resource plan materials to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority for initial guidance and advice.

Stage 2: Assess

Basin state governments formally submit their water resource plan package to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority to determine whether it meets the Basin Plan objectives.

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority assesses the water resource plan and provides advice to the Commonwealth Minister responsible for water.

Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations and Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations review the state's process of engagement with Aboriginal Nations and provide their assessment to the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. This advice is included in the package of advice that goes to the Commonwealth Minister responsible for water.

Stage 3: Accredit

The Commonwealth Minister responsible for water decides whether to accredit the water resource plan.

Once accredited by the Minister, the plan is operational.

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority's role in assessing water resource plans is explained further in the water resource plan assessment framework.

More information

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Water resource plans are an integral part of implementing the Basin Plan. They set new rules on how much water can be taken from the system, ensuring the sustainable diversion limit is not exceeded over time. Basin state governments are developing water resource plans.

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On the cusp of a declining environment, Ready Player One shares a story about the future; what the future holds for us depends on our actions now.

A utopian world created, OASIS, real-life individuals living in real-life problems and concerns (poverty, famine, and disease), the creator of OASIS builds this world full of fortune, players are set out to find it.

In comparing this text with the extensive research I have done on the Murray-Darling Basin, there is a substantial amount of correlation between the two.

With poverty, famine, and disease, this creates major concerns on the environment.

Through hard work and team building, it was possible for team members in OASIS to gain the fortune and start moving towards a more positive and healthier world.

With any transboundary watershed concerns with the environment, ecosystems, and water supply, working together and creating implementations and policies, we are able to move towards a more healthier and sustainable environment.

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Environment, D. (Director). (2012). Murray Darling Basin Plan [Motion Picture].

Government, A. (2017). A Plan for the Murray-Darling Basin. Retrieved from The Murray-Darling Basin Authority: https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan/plan-murray-darling-basin

Government, A. (2017). Basic Facts for Kids. Retrieved from The Murray-Darling Basin Authority: https://www.mdba.gov.au/education/kids-all-ages/basin-facts-kids

Government, A. (2017). Climate Variability and Change. Retrieved from The Murray-Darling Basin Authority: https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan-roll-out/climate-change

Government, A. (2017). Northern Basin Projects. Retrieved from The Murray-Darling Basin Authority: https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan-roll-out/northern-basin-projects

Government, A. (2017). The Murray-Darling Basin. Retrieved from Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

Government, A. (2017). Water Resource Plans. Retrieved from The Murray-Darling Basin Authority: https://www.mdba.gov.au/basin-plan-roll-out/water-resource-plans

Government, A. (2017). Water Use and Distribution. Retrieved from The Murray-Darling Basin Authority: https://www.mdba.gov.au/education/resources/water-use

McCormick, B. (2013). Murray Darling Basin. Parliament of Australia, 81-83.

MDBAMedia (Director). (2014). Food Production in the Murray-Darling Basin [Motion Picture].

News, B. (Director). (2019). Daily News- Murray-Darling Report Shows Public Authorities Must Take Climate Change Risk Seriously [Motion Picture].

News, B. t. (Director). (2019). Murray-Darling Warning: Behind the News [Motion Picture].

The Department of Water, L. a. (2005, September 1). Salinity and Water Quality Overview. Retrieved from Internet Archive: WayBackMachine: https://web.archive.org/web/20060826043416/http://www.dwlbc.sa.gov.au/murray/salinity/index.html