Flow state: Understanding water's essential role in South Australia
Every year, World Water Day provides a chance to reflect on the vital role that fresh, clean water plays in the health of our communities, environment and economy. Here are some of the ways water plays a critical role in South Australia.
This year’s theme, Where water flows, equality grows, shines a light on something many of us instinctively understand: water security isn’t just about taps running or crops growing. It’s also deeply connected to fairness and opportunity.
Around the world, women and girls often bear the brunt of water scarcity and unsafe sanitation, and they remain underrepresented in water leadership at all levels. Ensuring secure, wellmanaged water is one of the most powerful ways to support healthier, more equitable communities.
Championing women’s leadership in water management
This year’s theme highlights the importance of women’s leadership in shaping sustainable and equitable water systems. In late 2025 South Australia welcomed Dr Emma Carmody as the new River Murray Commissioner — a respected environmental and water lawyer who will advocate for South Australia's interests during a critical phase of Murray–Darling Basin governance.
Her appointment strengthens the state's voice in defending the health of the River Murray, the Lower Lakes and the broader Basin. Dr Carmody’s long-standing work with First Nations groups, communities and environmental organisations aligns strongly with this year’s focus on uplifting women and diverse leaders in water management.
Water’s essential role in South Australia
In South Australia, water underpins much of what makes our state thrive— from the vineyards of the Barossa, Clare Valley and Coonawarra, to the orchards and towns of the Riverland, to industries and communities stretching across the Eyre Peninsula and the South East.
It keeps our favourite places alive: kayaking Onkaparinga River Recreation Park, strolling around Happy Valley or Myponga Reservoirs, camping beneath river red gums in River Murray National Park, birdwatching along the Coorong, and marvelling at the vastness of Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre after rain.
Water doesn’t just support our environment—it drives jobs, local produce and prosperity. At the Department for Environment and Water, teams across the state work every day to protect and manage this shared resource for the benefit of current and future generations.
Key water projects underway in South Australia
Caring for rivers, wetlands and ecosystems: Programs such as Flows for the Future, The Living Murray, and other environmental water initiatives deliver water to priority sites, helping wetlands, fish, birds and river systems stay healthy and resilient.
Embedding First Nations leadership in water governance: The South Australian Framework to Advance First Nations’ Water Interests strengthens statewide participation in water planning and management, supporting Basinwide efforts to ensure First Nations peoples have a meaningful role in decisions about water.
Planning for current and future water security: The Water Security Statement, provides a statewide overview of South Australia’s current and future water security and outlines priorities to ensure our water resources continue to meet the needs of our environment, our communities and our economy.
Safeguarding outback water supplies: Through the Great Artesian Basin Water Security Program and other long-term water planning initiatives, remote communities, industries and ecosystems continue to have access to reliable, good quality water.
Shaping the Basin’s next decade: The 2026 Basin Plan Review is assessing how effectively the Basin Plan has met its environmental, social, cultural and economic objectives—work that will help guide the next phase of management across the Murray–Darling Basin
Underpinning the sustainable management of South Australia’s water resources across the state are essential water science and licencing functions, ensuring that water management and allocations across the state are informed by strong monitoring data, analysis and research.
World Water Day 2026
World Water Day is a chance for all South Australians to reflect on the role water plays in our everyday lives—keeping our landscapes healthy, supporting the foods and industries we rely on, and helping communities thrive. This year’s theme reminds us that when water is cared for and shared fairly, it strengthens the wellbeing, equality and prosperity of people across the state. By valuing and protecting this precious resource together, we help build a future where every South Australian can enjoy the benefits that secure, healthy water brings.