Developing a Coordinated Groundwater Management Plan for the Interstate Murray-Darling Basin

Abstract

The Murray-Darling (MDB) Basin Plan is a strategic plan for the integrated and sustainable management of water resources, including groundwater. The MDB covers an area of more than 1 million km² across five states and territories in south-eastern Australia. The major proportion of the groundwater extraction occurs over relatively small areas of alluvial aquifers, while the rest of the land area is characterised by sparse extraction from a wide range of groundwater systems. The Basin Plan follows a 20 year period of water reform and a major drought. While there had been a cap on surface water diversions, it is only with the advent of the Basin Plan that a limit has been set on the level of groundwater extraction across the MDB. Consistent management arrangements have also been applied across the MDB. Within the regionalised limits on groundwater extraction in the Basin Plan, localised impacts on the groundwater resource (including water quality, baseflow and ecology) will be managed through water resource plans. These plans will be developed and implemented by the five states and territories and accredited by the MDBA. The groundwater elements of the Basin Plan will be fully implemented in mid-2019, with a review in 2026. Future challenges include compliance, and adapting to climate change.