Water Matters
Issue 34, October 2014
Renewed funding announced for the GABSI
REMOTE communities will benefit from the Australian Government’s announcement of $15.9 million
to extend the Great Artesian Basin Sustainability Initiative (GABSI) for a further three years. The
program provides funding support to repair uncontrolled bores that threaten the long-term viability of
the Great Artesian Basin.
The Great Artesian Basin is Australia’s most significant underground water resource, directly
supporting more than 180,000 people in more than 120 towns and 7,600 enterprises in regional and
remote Australia
Since 1999, the Australian Government has invested nearly $115 million to repair 650 uncontrolled
artesian bores, saving 200 billion litres of water annually.
Continuation of the program is anticipated to provide further water savings of around 13 billion litres a
year, improving water pressure in the Basin and delivering broader improvements in water and land
management, which is particularly timely given the severe drought conditions being experienced in
large parts of the Basin.
The Plan will include full consideration of the future threats and pressures facing the Basin, as well as
how ongoing water management aligns with the principles of the National Water Initiative.
New funding to boost irrigation efficiency projects
Irrigators, local business and communities in the Murray Darling Basin will benefit from $350 million
funding from the Australian and New South Wales Governments to deliver irrigation efficiency projects
across the state.
The Australian Government is contributing an extra $125 million of funding to the revised package,
which will include expanding the successful NSW Irrigated Farm Modernisation Project, introducing a
new round of funding under the Private Irrigation Infrastructure Operators Program and boosting
funding under the Commonwealth On-farm Irrigation Efficiency Program for NSW.
For more information see http://www.environment.gov.au/minister/birmingham/2014/mr20141021.html
Explore Australia’s groundwater resources
To celebrate National Water Week (19-25 October) the Bureau of Meteorology has released the
Australian Groundwater Explorer —a web mapping portal which provides a comprehensive picture of
Australia’s groundwater resources.
The Explorer makes Australian groundwater data publicly available at the national scale for the first
time.
It contains bore and bore-log information for over 800 000 sites from the National Groundwater
Information System as well as contextual datasets, such as surface geology and sedimentary basins.
The Australian Groundwater Explorer is available online at:
http://www.bom.gov.au/water/groundwater/explorer/
Local officers ready to engage on Commonwealth environmental water
Six local engagement officers have been selected to work closely with communities and government
to help identify opportunities for Commonwealth environmental watering within the Murray-Darling
Basin.
All six officers have strong connections to the Murray-Darling Basin and bring an enormous depth and
breadth of experience in regional and remote Australia.
They are based at Deniliquin, Leeton and Dubbo in New South Wales, Mildura in Victoria, Berri in
South Australia and Goondiwindi in Queensland.
For more information, visit www.environment.gov.au/minister/birmingham/2014/mr20140919a.html
Celebrating 100 years of cooperation in the Murray-Darling Basin
One hundred years ago a landmark agreement was made between New South Wales, Victoria, South
Australia and the Commonwealth for the management and sharing of water resources of the Murray
River.
Since the River Murray Waters Agreement was settled in September 1914, governments have worked
together to deliver a secure water supply to farmers and Basin communities across all states, as well
as securing a long-term sustainable future for Murray River and its internationally significant
environmental values.
To mark this 100th anniversary, governments of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the
Commonwealth took stock of the achievements of the last one hundred years, and pledged to
continue their cooperative river management through the century ahead.
For more information, visit www.environment.gov.au/minister/birmingham/2014/mr20140912.html
Restored fishways ease travel upstream
More than 25 native fish species, including the Murray cod and golden perch, are finding it easier to
navigate their way up the River Murray with the help of 17 fishways.
The $70 million Sea to Hume fishway programme is the first of its kind in Australia and one of the only
fishway projects in the world to focus on protecting native fish rather than commercial species.
The project has restored over 2000 kilometres of fish passage from the Murray Mouth in South
Australia to the Hume Dam on the New South Wales and Victorian boarder. Fishways are structures
placed around weirs, locks and barrages which allow fish to travel upstream for breeding, safety and
to establish new territories. They also help in the management of invasive species like carp, with
specialised separation structures which have been installed at several of the fishways.
The project was funded under the Living Murray programme with the support of the Australian
Government and the South Australian, New South Wales and Victorian state governments.
For more information, visit www.environment.gov.au/minister/birmingham/2014/mr20140919c.html
New water regulator improves wetlands watering
A new water regulator has been installed at Lake Merreti in South Australia which will allow a more
optimal and natural watering regime for the wetlands and provide support for river red gums and other
habitat.
The regulator and other surface water infrastructure is part of the Australian Government's $89 million
contribution to the Riverine Recovery Project in South Australia, for the benefit of wetlands,
floodplains and weir pools along the River Murray, stretching from the border all the way to Wellington
in South Australia.
So far the project has generated water saving of over 5.2 gigalitres for the benefit of other wetlands
within the River Murray.
For more information, visit www.environment.gov.au/minister/birmingham/2014/mr20140919.html
Water purchase tender in the Queensland Lower Balonne closing soon
License holders in the Queensland Condamine-Balonne catchment still have until 5pm AEDT on
Thursday 30 October 2014 to make an offer under a new tender for water purchases opened on 30
September.
Water purchases in the area will contribute towards the Government’s commitment to bridging the
gap to meet the Sustainable Diversion Limits as set out in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and will help
to improve the health of the Basin's rivers, wetlands and floodplains.
Further information, including the Request for Tender guidelines and application form, are available
on the Department's website at www.environment.gov.au/waterpurchasing or by calling the Water
Information Line on 1800 218 478
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