Free Flow

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ransboundary

ater

anagement

Implementing targeted recovery action

The concept of ‘environmental water’ entered water policy consider-

ations in the early 2000s. Referring broadly to water used to improve

or maintain the health of a river system – including dependent

plants and animals – such water has timing, duration and volume

aspects. For example, a certain flow volume may be required over

several weeks to support fish migration.

In 2001, MinCo developed 15 objectives for a healthy working

River Murray and released a discussion paper which stimulated

extensive public comment from irrigators, residents, governments,

scientists and traditional owners. The information generated informed

the establishment of The Living Murray (TLM) programme, managed

by the Murray–Darling Basin Commission (which later became the

Murray–Darling Basin Authority or MDBA). Encapsulating the power

of cooperative effort and the strength of community-wide partici-

pation, this jointly-funded partnership of the basin governments

(excluding Queensland) and the Australian Government, set out for

the first time to recover 500 GL of additional flow in the river.

Investing almost $A1 billion since 2004, TLM has funded

research, on-farm efficiencies (such as better irrigation systems)

and improved infrastructure (for example, pipelining previously

open water channels), thus delivering real gains towards meeting

our consumptive needs with less water. The recovered water has

been used for the restoration of six ‘icon’ sites on the River Murray

– those jointly agreed as of the highest ecological value and cultural

significance – as well as improving instream health. In addition,

TLM has supported upgrades or installation of fishways to improve

fish passage through dams and weirs, and has fostered many partner-

ships, including with and between indigenous nations in the basin.

Stimulus for national coordination

Despite all the united effort to improve trade, efficiency and river

health, the worst drought on record (2000-2009) highlighted the

continuing overall inequity between consumption and conservation.

The effects resonated throughout the country as irrigated agricul-

tural production fell by an estimated 20 per cent with flow-on effects

to jobs. Tourism, recreation, cultural and spiritual practices were

impacted as many rivers experienced flows almost 40 per cent below

previous records; and flow to the Murray Mouth fell by up to 96 per

cent. An iconic and loved species, the river red gum tree portrayed a

graphic illustration of a critically declining environment as it began

dying over extensive areas.

Widespread public debate raged about equitable management of

the basin’s water resources. The Prime Minister ultimately recog-

nized that for water resources to be managed holistically and for

the long-term, hard decisions must be taken that would affect large

numbers of people, requiring national governance. In 2007, at the

height of the drought, the Australian Government announced

major reform to deliver a basin-wide sustainable level of water

diversion, supported by a $A10 billion package of initiatives.

Products of national reform

This reform was enshrined in legislation (the Water Act 2007) and

supported by an Intergovernmental Agreement (2008), under which

states referred sufficient powers to the Commonwealth to progress

the reform. The independent MDBA was charged with developing the

basin-wide strategic management plan (the Basin Plan).

For the first time, a thoroughly investigated and considered limit

on overall extraction from the basin’s surface and groundwater was

determined and, under this, regional planning level

limits were set. Known as the sustainable diversion

limits (SDLs), these were derived after first determin-

ing an ‘environmentally-sustainable level of take’,

representing the amount of water that must remain in

the system to support the health of key ecosystems and

ecosystem functions in the basin (10,870 GL). It was

determined using data from numerous scientific and

economic studies, a 114-year climate record, a hydro-

logic computer modelling platform and a rigorous, peer

reviewed process.

Despite all existing cooperative mechanisms, achiev-

ing an enforceable limit wasn’t easy and negotiations

took four years. The main area of discord, which polar-

ized irrigators and environmentalists, was determining

what constituted ‘sustainable’ extraction. Other issues

included where and how the ‘environmental’ water

should be reclaimed (with states and regions concerned

about securing enough water for their industries) and

whether an upstream catchment should be responsi-

ble for the passage of volumes of water downstream to

benefit areas outside their jurisdiction.

Factors critical to the work’s progress included

bipartisan support from Australia’s two major politi-

cal parties and general high-level consensus on the

compelling need to achieve sustainability. A process

that gave all stakeholders a voice was vital, including

mechanisms for their views to influence the outcome.

For this purpose, MDBA staff toured the basin

several times conducting hundreds of consultation

sessions, and then responded to thousands of submis-

sions. MinCo met frequently, allowing jurisdictional

views to be expressed and negotiating agreed policy.

Updated scientific advice and data drove revisions to

the hydrologic modelling method, and together with

well-considered submissions led to several revisions of

the draft Basin Plan.

Ultimately, while the scientific analysis indicated the

overarching sustainable diversion limit, the final recov-

ery determination (2,750 GL) reflected a balanced

decision that would deliver a ‘healthy, working basin’

through optimizing the environmental, economic and

social outcomes. With acceptance by sufficient stake-

holders, the Basin Plan became law in 2012, with a

transition period before SDLs are enforceable in 2019.

On-ground outcomes

Environmental water recovery is occurring through

the Commonwealth government’s $A12.9 billion

Water for the Future initiative. Water savings accrued

from infrastructure works and modernization projects

and direct purchasing of water rights (from volunteer

sellers at market price) are held by a statutory ‘water

holder’. This body delivers the environmental water

consistent with the Basin Plan. Through such initia-

tives, together with earlier water recovery such as

TLM, over 3,500 GL (about 20-25 per cent of historical

consumptive water use) has already been made avail-

able for targeted purposeful environmental watering.