Regional Sustainability

Mallee Regional Catchment Strategy Goal

To protect and improve the quality of water resources associated with people's entitlement to water, taking account of environmental constraints.

Natural Assets

Water resources are significant for the Mallee region. The River Murray is one of the key icons of the region. Water trading into the region has promoted considerable growth and wealth but also creates increased risks of salinity.

Most of the region is underlain by highly saline groundwater. Any risk in the level of that groundwater can create salinity impacts on wetlands, biodiversity, production and infastructure.

The Murrayville freshwater aquifer is a very important resource for domestic pruposes, as well as irrigation in the west of the region. This aquifer is shared with South Australia.

The Wimmera Mallee Pipeline project is the largest water saving project in Australia. It will provide a far more secure and better quality supply for much of the southern part of the Mallee and provides opportunities for greater environmental flows for some of the rivers and wetlands of the region.

Program Objectives

Core projects comprising the Regional Sustainability Program will contribute towards:

the improvement of information on baseline conditions, and the setting and quantifying of target levels
improvements in irrigation management to reduce river salinity by a yet-to-be-determined number of EC units
no net increase in river salinity arising from water trade
regional salt interception works to reduce river salinity by a yet-to-be-determined number of EC units
the recognition of the region as an active contributor to the development of state, federal and Murray-Darling Basin policy formulation.