Are Murray-Darling Basin rivers getting the water they need to stay healthy?

Under the Water Act 2007, governments are now required by law to ensure water extraction in the Murray-Darling Basin does not compromise ecosystems that depend on freshwater flows. The Wentworth Group has assessed the extent to which the Murray-Darling Basin’s rivers have received the flows they need to stay healthy.

Our findings showed that while some improvements have been observed in the decade since the Basin Plan was enacted, most flow requirements we assessed were not achieved, with implications for the health of the Basin’s rivers, ecosystems, and communities. We make recommendations to enhance water management for the health of the Murray-Darling Basin in a changing climate.

The study on which these recommendations are based is currently in review at the journal, Marine & Freshwater Research. A pre-print of the manuscript is available at ResearchGate.

Author

Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists