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10 - The Murray–Darling River Basin

from Part III - Engineered Rivers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2021

By
Daniel Connell
Edited by
Jurgen Schmandt  and
Aysegül Kibaroglu
Edited in association with
Regina Buono  and
Sephra Thomas
Jurgen Schmandt
Affiliation:
Houston Advanced Research Center
Aysegül Kibaroglu
Affiliation:
MEF University, Istanbul
Regina Buono
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
Sephra Thomas
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
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Summary

This chapter analyzes sustainable river management in the Murray–Darling Basin, where growing salinity problems and decreasing security of supply began to cause political conflict between and within the four states that share the catchment. The Murray–Darling Basin Authority has been responsible for coordinating the management of storage reservoirs, major infrastructure, and cross-border flows since 1917. In recent years, however, water needs of different activities are mediated through the dynamics of the market rather than the decisions of government officials. In many regions in the basin, however, water management is more complex now than it was only a few decades ago. The shortage of skilled personnel to manage Australia’s highly modified hydrological systems, which is already making itself felt, could well prove the greatest risk in the medium and longer term.

Keywords

MurrayDarlingdroughtWater Act 2007water marketsMurray Darling Basin AuthorityMurray-Darling Basin Plan
Type
Chapter
Information
Sustainability of Engineered Rivers In Arid Lands
Challenge and Response
 , pp. 121 - 131
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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