Supporting community

The River Murray is at the heart of South Australia’s communities and industries. It supplies water to Adelaide and towns along the river, as well as towns as far as Port Pirie and Yorke Peninsula. It is a place where we go to relax and enjoy nature, and is central to the culture and beliefs of its Traditional Owners.

The river is also known as that nation’s food bowl and much of the water taken from the River Murray in South Australia is used to produce food and wine. The irrigation industry relies on good quality river water to prosper.

The Millennium drought highlighted that too much water has been taken from across the Murray-Darling Basin for too long and the health of the river has suffered.

It is important that we balance the water needs of the river along with our needs to ensure a healthy River Murray now and into the future, that can sustain the industries and communities that rely on it.

We must also prepare for drying conditions, and understand how climate change will continue to affect the health of our river.

Programs are underway to support irrigators to modernise their irrigation infrastructure and research ways to diversify and use water more efficiently.

Collectively we can all make a big difference by using water sustainably in the home and garden, and reduce our impacts on the River Murray.