Moving water long distances: Grand schemes or pipe dreams?
Department of the Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, 2010
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Introduction
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains.
Dorothea Mackellar ("My Country")
Dorothea Mackellar's famous poem captures our love of Australia's landscape. But, it also captures one of our greatest challenges: how to manage our water. Australia is the driest inhabited continent, and its rainfall varies greatly from year to year and place to place. This means that our water supplies can be scarce and unreliable.
Water management is sometimes a controversial topic in Australia — one that generates strong debate and big ideas. This publication looks at one of these big ideas: moving water long distances from northern to southern Australia. It covers the possible costs and benefits of various options, as well as other alternatives for securing water supplies.
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