About the River Murray
The River Murray is the lifeblood of the state, providing essential water for irrigation, industry, domestic and recreational use and our precious wetlands and floodplains.
In an average year, around 75 per cent of the water taken from the River Murray in South Australia is used for primary production. This includes water for wineries, livestock, dairies and for the irrigation of crops such as citrus, stone fruit, almonds, pasture, vegetables and native crops.
In recent history, so much water has been taken that it caused significant economic and environmental problems along the River Murray. A series of locks, weirs, barrages and storages have modified the natural flow.
We need to manage the river carefully to ensure it continues to support healthy environments and productive and resilient industries and communities. This is particularly important during dry conditions.
River Murray regions in focus
The Riverland contains unique wetlands and floodplains, including the Chowilla, Pike and Katarapko floodplains.
In South Australia, the mid-Murray is below Lock 2 and above Wellington, and winds through a large number of towns such as Cadell, Morgan, Murray Bridge and Swan Reach.
Coorong, Lower Lakes, Murray Mouth (CLLMM)
The CLLMM region is at the end of the River Murray, so it's the only place where salt and pollutants can be flushed from the entire Murray-Darling Basin to the ocean.
The Murray-Darling Basin
The Murray-Darling Basin covers 1,059,000 square kilometres and drains one-seventh of Australia's land area. It includes the Australian Capital Territory, and parts of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
Australia's three longest rivers - the Darling (2,740 km), Murray (2,530 km) and Murrumbidgee (1,690 km) - are in the basin, along with their vast networks of tributaries, creeks and watercourses, many of which only carry water during times of flood. The freshwater flows down the Murray-Darling system are seen by Aboriginal Nations as the lifeblood of Country.
There are around 30,000 wetlands in the basin, with 16 listed under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention).
The basin supports agriculture, tourism and other productive industries and is home to more than 2 million people. Outside the basin, a further 1.3 million people depend on its water resources, including Adelaide, the largest population base reliant on basin water resources.
South Australia works closely with all basin states and the Australian Government to jointly manage the Murray-Darling river system under the Basin Plan.
