Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges Region

The Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges water resource plan area is located at the lower end of the Murray-Darling Basin river system, extending from the Marne River catchment in the north to the Currency Creek catchment in the south.

The Bremer, Angas and Finniss rivers are some of the larger watercourses or water channels in the region. These are fed by water from run-off in the hills and then drain across the broad Murray Plains.

The annual volume of water allocated for licensed uses - including town water supply, animal farming, irrigated agriculture including wine production, as well as mining and quarrying - is enough water to fill 22,000 Olympic size swimming pools. Large quantities of water are also used for stock and domestic use which do not require a water licence.

The water resources of the area support a number of ecologically important habitats.

The internationally listed Coorong, Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert Ramsar wetland site is located south of and adjacent to the area.

The area’s water resources also support the Fleurieu Peninsula Swamps, which are listed as a ‘critically endangered’ ecological community and which provide habitat for the southern emu wren, and the southern brown bandicoot.

The Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges area includes the groundwater and surface waters of the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges and the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area.

The Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges water resource plan was accredited by the then Commonwealth Minister responsible for water, the Hon. David Littleproud, in November 2019.

In the area, South Australia’s main water planning tools are:

• Landscape South Australia Act 2019
• Water Allocation Plan Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges
• The Water Allocation Plan for the Marne Saunders Prescribed Water Resources Area.
• Natural Resources South Australian Murray-Darling Basin NRM Plan

Read more information on water resource plans across the Murray-Darling Basin