Topics > Water and River Murray > Basin, River Murray, Lakes, and the Coorong > Basin Plan and Murray-Darling Basin Agreement

Basin Plan evaluation

Responsibilities

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) periodically evaluates the Basin Plan.

The South Australian Government monitors and evaluates progress towards the objectives of the Basin Plan.

  • It reports annually and every five years to the MDBA on the water for the environment plan, water quality and salinity, water trading rules, and water resource planning.

Basin Plan environmental outcomes for South Australia (2020)

In 2020, South Australia completed its evaluation of the environmental outcomes in our three water resource plan areas since implementation of the Basin Plan commenced.

This evaluation came at an important time in the implementation of the Basin Plan and supports the continued work towards full implementation of our Basin Plan obligations and the upcoming review in 2026.

Our evaluation demonstrated the following achievements:

1. The Basin Plan is working and water was available for the environment during the dry times leading up to 2020. This has helped improve the resilience of some critical habitats including the Lakes and Coorong and the parts of the River Murray floodplain that are managed with infrastructure.

2. Implementation of the Basin Plan to date has supported:

  • improved connectivity between the Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth with 10 years of continuous flow and increased barrage flows, providing pathways for key migratory fish species to move and breed
  • increased populations of black bream and greenback flounder in the Murray estuary and Coorong, and small-mouthed hardyhead in the Coorong
  • overbank and spring-summer flows, and more localised fast-flowing habitats which may have supported the recruitment and dispersal of Murray cod and an increase in food resources for these fish
  • improvements in the abundances, distribution and breeding of Lakes waterbirds
  • managed floodplain inundations, which has contributed to improved condition of river red gum and black box trees in inundated areas.

3. Following the impacts of the Millennium Drought, we have seen some positive signs of recovery. We need to continue to build resilience to ensure our ecosystems can recover from future drought.

4. We have seen positive outcomes for the areas where water for the environment has been delivered.

5. To achieve broader outcomes, we need to increase the inundation area and coordinate the delivery of water across the southern connected Basin.

How SA evaluated achievement of environmental outcomes

We worked closely with technical experts and key stakeholders to evaluate the following questions:

  • Was this what we expected to see?
  • Why are we seeing these results?
  • How has the Basin Plan contributed to what we are seeing?
  • What is still to be done and what do we expect to see in the future?

Supporting technical information

The South Australian River Murray Evaluation Report and forthcoming Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges and South Australian Murray Region evaluation reports are underpinned by substantial data and analyses available in the following technical reports:

The Australian Government's Inspector-General of Water Compliance has oversight, monitoring, and regulatory functions and powers, under the Water Act 2007. For example, he makes decisions relating to the commencement of audits or inquiries and enforcement actions.

Acknowledgement of Country

Acknowledgement of Country

The state government acknowledges Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Nations of the lands and waters we live and work upon and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge and respect the deep spiritual connection and the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country.

We work in partnership with the First Peoples of South Australia and support their Nations to take a leading role in caring for their Country.