Interview of Mike Young: A Future-proofed Basin
I interviewed Mike Young, the Professor of Water Economics and Management at the University of Adelaide on 11 March about his recent discussion paper titled “A future-proofed Basin: A new water management regime for the Murray-Darling Basin“.
The Murray-Darling Basin in Australia is over one million square kilometres in area, and provides water to the majority (70%) of Australia’s irrigated agriculture (1.4 million hectares). It’s management is complicated because the Basin extends over five states and one territory. Until recently, the Basin was managed under a joint agreement – called the Murray Darling Basin Agreement. 41 per cent of Australia’s gross value of agricultural production (1992) is produced in this region. It is also an important water supply for many rural towns, and the capital city of the state of South Australia – Adelaide, the city I live in. The two main tributaries are the Darling River in the north and the Murray River in the south.
The Rivers of the Murray Darling Basin are under terrible stress. The largest state in the Basin, NSW, has taken more than its share of water that all the states agreed to (called “The Cap”). All states do not meter all water use, and more water is extracted from the river systems than is agreed under the Cap. Since irrigation began in the Basin in the 1800′s, salinity has been a problem, as water that moves into the groundwater collects salt and then flows back into the River. The response to this increased salt load into the River has been to build salt interception schemes along the rivers which intercept salty groundwater before it reaches the rivers. Nevertheless, the river floodplain has become increasingly salinised, killing trees and wetlands. The River has been under significant stress of reduced flows and salinity for some time. In the year 2000, a series of drought years created a major crisis for the River. All of the storage dams along the river are now at low levels. The River stopped flowing at its mouth, putting the Ramsar listed Coorong estuary in mortal danger. In 2008, the large Lower Lakes at the bottom of the river are drying up, and only a series of barrages stops the sea water backflowing into these freshwater lakes and back up the river. Irrigators do not have access to secure supplies of water, and are under huge financial stress or have left the land, leaving orchards and other crops to die. Wetlands have dried up and the floodplain of the lower reaches of the river are white with salt. The Coorong estuary has almost completely changed character, from an estuarine environment to a hypersaline system of low diversity. Some birds species are at imminent risk of extinction in this region.
The original Murray Darling Agreement has collapsed, and the management of the River is now undertaken through a series of management meetings, which must seem like crisis meetings, by a group of senior bureaucrats called the “Senior Officials Group”. Every month the news gets worse as the drought continues. The Lower Lakes of the Murray River are so dry, they are now at risk of developing acid sulphate soils. If the drought continues, the salinity of the River will continue to increase more rapidly. The security of water to the city of Adelaide, with a population of over one million people, is at risk.
If this is a harbinger of climate change, then the Basin cannot continue to be managed as it was in the past. The results of this management system is system collapse in dry periods.
In my interview with Mike Young, he proposes a new model for managing the Basin. He argues for a different management system that is much more resilient to long periods of drought, for which there is a higher risk under climate change. The essence of the changes are:
1. Replace the current entitlement and allocation regime with a robust one that can be confidently explained as one that will work no matter what the climate scenarios in the future
2. Implement the resultant change in a just a fair manner.
I am not going to repeat the article that Mike wrote. He is much better than I at presenting his arguments. I would encourage you to read his full article (link above) and listen to the podcast.
Written by Paul Dalby. For more information – http://www.litfuse.com.au
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[...] Mike Young: A Water-Proofed Basin [...]
Youtube and the Age of Reason? « LitFuse said this on March 27, 2008 at 9:14 pm |
Enough is enough says Fair Water Use (Australia)
Fair Water Use (Australia) is a national group formed by everyday Australians, with the shared vision of a revived Murray-Darling basin and the sustainable environmental, community and economic benefits that would flow from its recovery.
Fair Water Use (Australia) welcomes Victoria’s signing–on to the national Murray-Darling rescue plan as a significant development, but says the future health of this vital river system is far from assured.
The recent decision by the Queensland Government to buy back stored water from a large private irrigator in an effort to save dying wet lands and an endangered water bird species is a further indication of the dysfunctional nature of the current arrangements. Although details have not been released, it is probable that the company involved will reap a hefty profit from returning a national resource to the public domain and allowing the creeks to flow as nature intended.
It is estimated that flows into the Murray Darling Basin must be increased by 1,500 billion litres to achieve a moderate improvement in the status of the river system.
This may seem an impossible ask. However, according to latest figures obtained by Fair Water Use from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the volume of water extracted from the Murray-Darling catchment and used to irrigate Australian cotton and rice in 2005-6 exceeded a staggering 2,800 billion litres.
The end of broad-acre cultivation of cotton and rice is critical to the future of the Murray-Darling, according to Fair Water Use (Australia)’s, Dr Ian Douglas.
“As an example, Cubbie Station is licensed to take 460 billion litres – more than enough to fill Sydney Harbour – the equivalent of all irrigation entitlements downstream in north-western NSW,” Dr Douglas said.
“This vast volume is extracted from the Murray-Darling catchment virtually free-of-charge. After recent rains in Queensland, Cubbie Station dams now contain over three years supply of water which it will use for the cultivation of cotton in a country ravaged by drought.
“There is irrefutable evidence that the plight of the Murray-Darling Basin and the resulting regional, social and environmental devastation, is in part a consequence of the activities of Cubbie and others involved in the cultivation of inappropriate and unnecessary crops on the driest continent on earth.”
Fair Water Use (Australia) will continue to apply pressure to the Federal Government to take urgent and specific action to resolve this anathema, including the buy-back of the nation’s water from cotton and rice producers. Please join our campaign and contact your local State and Federal MPs and Environment Ministers.
For further details, please contact: fairwateruse@internode.on.net
Website: http://www.fairwateruse.com.au
Media enquiries: Jilea Morrad: 0423 707 372
[...] viewing version of the murray darling episode here. Watch the episode, listen to podcasts like this, this and this ripper from the late Peter [...]
We need to talk about saving the murray, darling! | Learning with the Fang said this on May 15, 2008 at 9:53 am |
Dear Paul,
Please pass on to Mike Young that when he is considering his new plan for the Murray Darling that he puts some thought into what is about to happen a long way from him but right at the beginning of one of the tributaries that eventually leads into the Darling River. If we don’t get help up here shortly we will be sending down the system water found within the coal strata which as I am sure you know will be saline in nature and contaminated with organic derivatives and toxic and heavy metals. We are a group based on the Liverpool Plains in northern NSW and we are battling one of the mining giants who want to dig up and tunnel under our rich fertile plains and pollute our fresh water aquifers. We are on the Mooki River which feeds into the Namoi which feeds into the Barwon and into the Darling. All our water heads your way and we are the first exploration area. If they get going there will be many mines from the Great Divide to the Queensland border and the whole system won’t stand a chance. We are trying to help this end but any help from you guys would be appreciated. For further information check our website http://www.ccag.org.au Thanks Sue Willis
Darling River (Australia) Salinity, Drought and Sustainability message for All
A little message to remind us what is important.
Please read the text that goes with message
People power and Sustainability, please pass it on
Cheers
[...] Mike Young on ideas for “future proofing” the Murray Darling Basin [...]
Update on the RIver Murray « LitFuse said this on October 9, 2010 at 12:33 am |
Stands back from the keyboard in amaeezmnt! Thanks!