Water Management
The Living Murray Initiative
The Living Murray Initiative is a major investment by the NSW, Victorian, South Australian, ACT and Commonwealth Governments to improve the environmental health of the Murray River by recovering water for environmental purposes. $700 million is being invested over five years from 2004 to 2009 to recover water to improve the environmental health of six significant ecological sites along the Murray, namely Barmah Millewa Forest; Perricoota – Koondrook and Gunbower Forest; Hattah Lakes Complex; Chowilla wetlands and floodplain; Coorong and the Murray Mouth; and the main channel of the Murray River. Another $150 million is being spent on environmental works and measures.
The NSW target is to recover 249 GL for the environment and the NSW Government has completed or commenced work on a number of projects. By June 2008 had more than 90 GL recovered and a number of other projects underway which will recover around another 170 GL. Completed projects include:
- The $54 million Great Darling Anabranch Pipeline scheme which involved the removal or modification of block banks and other water regulation structures which create a series of water pools and the installation of pumps, a pipeline and a filtration system. This will save 47 GL of water and allow the re-introduction of more natural flow conditions along the 460 kilometres of the Great Darling Anabranch.
- The purchase of 12 GL of irrigation entitlement from the Poon Boon Irrigation Trust.
- Edward River Savings Stage 1 which involved the construction of 18 regulators to stop unwanted flooding of the Millewa Forest saving 7.1 GL.
- Construction of a regulator to better manage the regulated flow to prevent unnatural flooding of Croppers Lagoon saving 800 GL.
The Department of Environment and Climate Change is managing NSW's projects for The Living Murray Initiative.