Management policies for the Murray- Darling Basin

Key Knowledge and Skills Current management policies and strategies to implement these policies The effectiveness of water- management policies and strategies in terms of current use and future sustainability

Administratively Complex Ensuring equitable access for all is difficult The basins scale variable climate and inflows Many potential users Many managing the resource Governments Organisations

Shared: 4 States 1 Territory Victoria South Australia NSW Queensland ACT

Murray Darling Basin Agreement Water is shared between Victoria, NSW and SA under this agreement Concerns about equitable access (irrigators, domestic supply) Recently greater recognition for policies which promote more efficient water use and the rivers environmental quality

Managing Water Use Policies have evolved over time to manage the Basins water Changing Social, economic, environmental and political factors have influenced the development of these policies

Policies designed to manage the MDB 1915 River Murray waters agreement 1917 Murray River Commission 1992 Murray Darling Basin Agreement 1995 The Cap 2003 The living Murray Initiative 2004 The National Water Incentive 2007 National plan for water Security 2008 Murray Darling Basin Authority See page 68 of your text for a detailed description

Water Storage One of the major policies in the basin is to provide reliable water supplies especially during dry periods. The total capacity for storage in the basin is GL During the drought storages held only 4840 GL (21%) Following good rains in 2011 they were 83%

Government Irrigation Storages

Major water storages Dartmouth Dam (on the Mitta Mitta) Hume dam (the largest storage on the river) Lake Victoria (agreed minimum flows to SA) Menindee lakes (on the Darling River)

The Living Murray initiative 1.Barmah-Millewa Forest 2.Gunbower and Koondrook-Perricoota forests 3.Hattah Lakes 4.Chowilla Floodplain 5.Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth 6.Murray-River Channel

The Living Murray sites