There is a convenient view by upstream communities and their political representatives that River Murray water flowing to South Australia just evaporates and is wasted. All communities should have a fair share of the limited water available, with enough left in the rivers so they can support us.
The Lower Murray Valley in SA depends on a flowing healthy working River Murray
- 648 km from SA border to Murray Mouth
- >3,000 km2 floodplains, 1100 wetlands in 250 complexes
- 16 towns, 6 settlements, 8 holiday home communities, 5 towns on Lower Lakes
- 35,000 ha irrigated horticulture in Riverland
- landscapes, destinations and amenity for river towns, businesses, farmers, fishermen and holiday-makers
- only has 7% of MDB area and flow volumes.
Water flowing to South Australia from upstream is not wasted, it doesn’t just evaporate
- provides water supplies to 75% of SA communities in dry years, including Adelaide, Iron Triangle, Yorke Peninsula, Barossa, Clare, Keith
- supports towns, communities, businesses, agriculture, tourism & State’s economy
- keeps the River flowing to the Lower Lakes, Coorong and the sea
- ecosystems filter water, trap sediment and nutrients, buffer floods
- floods water floodplains and wetlands, kick-starts life-cycles in plants, waterbirds, animals, fish, frogs, yabbies.
Water flowing to the sea is not wasted
- major component of estuarine water quality, mixing with sea water
- provides nutrients to estuarine, coastal and marine ecosystems, including key food sources for crayfish nurseries
- allows fish passage between sea and lakes.
planetforlife 