SA River Murray

The South Australian River Murray water resource plan is a management plan for all the surface water in the River Murray and its floodplain, from the South Australian border down to, and including, Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert. It also includes portions of the Angas, Bremer and Finniss Rivers and Currency Creek, where they enter Lake Alexandrina. Importantly, the River Murray incorporates all or part of the Traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri, Peramangk and First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee Region.

Water from the River Murray is critical to all South Australians. It supplies water that supports continued prosperity and quality of life for our communities. It includes internationally recognised wetlands and is a major supply of water for Adelaide and other regional towns across the state.

The river also supplies water for a variety of other licensed purposes, including irrigated horticulture, livestock farming, associated processing industries and for environmental watering. Non-licensed water use is limited to specific types of domestic use and for watering stock that are not intensively farmed.

The South Australian River Murray water resource plan was accredited by the Australian Government Minister responsible for water in November 2019. All instruments and documents that were accredited as part of the water resource plan can be viewed on the Murray-Darling Basin Authority website.

Note: Since South Australia’s water resource plans were accredited by the Australian Government Minister, parts of several State instruments that were accredited as part of the plans have been amended or replaced. One of the key changes is the Landscape South Australia Act 2019replacing the Natural Resources Management Act 2004. While some of the legislative instruments and other documents referred to in the plans are not current, the plans remain in effect. All instruments and documents accredited as part of the water resource plans can be viewed via the MDBA website.

The South Australian government is working with the MDBA and the Office of the Inspector General of Water Compliance to identify the best approach to updating and reaccrediting the plans. This process will ensure that the updated plans meet local water management needs and Basin Plan requirements.

Read more information on water resource plans across the Murray-Darling Basin.