Water over-allocation in the Murray-Darling Basin
Lake Bonney, South Australia
Photo John Baker
There is increasing evidence that the water resources of a number of catchments and aquifers within the Murray-Darling Basin are seriously over-allocated or overused. These are related but different terms;
- over-allocation is where more entitlements have been issued in a system than can be sustained
- over-use is where more water is allocated to irrigators or other users within a given period than can be sustained
This situation has arisen as a result of past decisions by state and territory governments to issue more entitlements than can be delivered by water systems, and by a failure in water sharing plans to set the pool of water available for consumption at sustainable levels.
The National Water Initiative sets out the arrangements by which state and territory government water plans for catchments and aquifers should be developed, including making substantial progress in addressing over-allocation and over-use by 2010. On current trajectories, this objective is unlikely to be met without a significant intervention.
Under the $12.9 billion national water plan, Water for the Future, the Commonwealth Government will invest up to $3 billion over ten years to address over-allocation in the Murray-Darling Basin. Planned in conjunction with the modernisation program, this will be achieved by providing assistance to irrigation districts to reconfigure irrigation systems and retire non-viable areas, such as those at the end of isolated channels or in salt affected areas. Assistance will be provided to help relocate non-viable or inefficient irrigators, or help them with exiting the industry. Where necessary, entitlements will also be purchased on the market.
Water that accrues to the Australian Government through these measures will be managed by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to restore the health of the rivers and wetlands in the Murray-Darling Basin.
See also
- Living Murray Initiative
- Meteorological information for primary industry and natural resources management
- Murray-Darling Basin Authority
- National Framework for Improved Groundwater Management in Australia
- National Principles for the Provision of Water for Ecosystems
- National Water Commission
- National Water Initiative
- COAG MDB Environmental Water Recovery report
Key
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