2008-09 northern Basin water entitlement purchase
Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin Program
This round of water entitlement purchasing closed on 30 June 2009.
Further information on the progress of the program can be found at Progress of the 2008-09 Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin Water Purchasing
Background
On 8 September the Australian Government announced a new purchase of water entitlements to help restore the health of Murray-Darling Basin rivers and wetlands. From 15 September through to 19 December 2008, sellers of water entitlements in the Queensland and northern New South Wales areas of the Basin were invited to lodge applications. The northern Basin tender reopened on Tuesday 27 January 2009 and will close at 5:00 PM EST Tuesday 30 June 2009.
Through the northern Basin water entitlement purchase, the Australian Government is purchasing regulated and unregulated entitlements from irrigators upstream of the Menindee Lakes.
This purchase of water entitlements builds upon the Australian Government's 2007-08 water buy-back which is currently finalising the purchase of approximately 26 billion litres of water, to be used to protect or restore environmental assets such as wetlands and streams, in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Media releases
- Northern Basin water purchase tender re-opens - 29 January 2009
- Next water buyback tender to open 15 September media release
- New measures to deal with the critical situation in the Murray-Darling Basin media release
- Queensland water buyback for Murray-Darling rivers to open next month (PDF - 103 KB)
Northern Murray-Darling Basin catchments map
The Northern Murray-Darling Basin 2008-09 water entitlement purchase will accept applications to sell permanent water entitlements from all river catchments in the Murray-Darling Basin north of Menindee Lakes. River catchments included are: Darling River north of Menindee Lakes, Macquarie Catchment, Castlereagh Catchment, Namoi Catchment, Gwydir Catchment, NSW and Qld Border Rivers Catchment, Moonie Catchment, Condamine-Balonne, Warrego and Paroo.
Source: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
The ecosystems of the Murray-Darling Basin which rely on the water flowing through the Basin's rivers and tributaries are under considerable pressure due to the over-use of water resources for irrigation and other extractive uses. This water purchase will help the Australian Government tackle the effects of climate change, drought and over-allocation on its rivers and communities.
Further information on the outcomes of the water purchases and future water entitlement purchasing will be posted on this site as it becomes available.
More information
Contact us
The Water Purchasing Officer
Water Efficiency Division
PO Box 787
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Phone: 1800 218 478
Fax: 02 6275 9398
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