Site by ThirdSide. Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content. April 19, Rivers Protect Us Nature has ways of protecting people, property, and wildlife. Let nature protect all of us. The importance of floodplains and wetlands cannot be overstated.
Floodplains are the low-lying areas adjacent to rivers that are formed by sediment deposited by rivers. The floodplain is an integral part of a river and is essential for a healthy functioning river system.
A wetland is a land area that is covered with water, either permanently or seasonally. They include aquatic plants specifically adapted to the hydric, or very wet, soils found there. Floodplains and wetlands provide a myriad of benefits including habitat for fish and other wildlife, pollution filtration, flood protection, groundwater recharge, and rich, fertile soils for farming.
Once a river becomes disconnected from its floodplain, the benefits they provide are lost. Levees also make floods worse because they force flood waters into a narrower river channel, making the water flow higher, faster, and with greater force, which can cause more powerful floods both up and downstream. For too long, wetlands have been viewed as wastelands to be filled in and built upon.
As a result, extensive losses have occurred. Wetlands are also important in absorbing, recycling and releasing nutrients and trapping sediment, acting as natural filters which improve water quality. At the same time, excessive pollutants will degrade or destroy wetlands. Wetlands also increase the productivity of associated aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Wetlands add to the diversity of the landscape and are the focus for a number of recreational activities.
Given the Basin's generally dry but highly variable climate, the wetlands act as environmental buffer areas. During wet periods, they spread flood peaks and store floodwaters, releasing them gradually and reducing the effects of flooding. During drought, they provide refuges for wildlife and grazing for stock. The Basin has over 30, wetlands, some of them listed internationally Australia's Ramsar wetlands for their importance to migratory birds that visit the site.
To be healthy and promote life, the wetlands of the Basin need to be alternately wet and dry. We acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of Country throughout the Murray—Darling Basin and acknowledge their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past, present and emerging. Skip to main content. X Alert: We are currently updating our website to reflect Machinery of Government changes to Basin-wide compliance and enforcement.
Read more. Go to search page Search this site. The Basin Plan A plan for the Basin The aim of the Basin Plan is to ensure that water is shared between all users, including the environment, in a sustainable way. Water resource plans Water resource plans are documents that set out how water will be managed in an area. Sustainable diversion limits The Basin Plan sets a limit on how much water can be sustainably diverted within the Basin.
Compliance and enforcement Compliance is an integral part of water management in the Murray—Darling Basin. Monitoring and evaluation Monitoring, evaluation and reporting is critical to understanding whether the Basin Plan is working and on track. Water recovery Water recovery is the water that is being recovered for the environment.
Northern Basin projects The northern Basin is a complex network of people and places, industries and organisations with many and varied needs. Climate variability and change Water management must be adaptive to the uncertain effects of climate variability and change. Groundwater We work together with the states to manage the Basin's groundwater resources. Where is the Basin? Water in the Basin is managed across four states and a territory covering one million square kilometres.
How the Basin was formed The Basin is hundreds of millions years old, with landforms seen today taking shape over the last 60 million years. Environmental importance The Murray—Darling Basin is home to a huge range of species, including many that are rare and endangered, and some that can only be found in Australia.
Plants and animals The rivers and lakes of the Basin support unique habitats critical to waterbirds, native fish, reptiles and protected wetlands. Issues facing the Basin Fish deaths Fish deaths can occur in the Basin and Basin governments work together to protect important native fish species. Salinity Salinity management is a significant environmental challenge for the Basin. Blue-green algae Blue-green algae are naturally occurring organisms found in all types of water.
Acid sulfate soils Acid sulfate soils and affected waterways can harm or kill plants, fish and other aquatic organisms. Blackwater Blackwater is a natural phenomenon where soil and sediment is washed into our waterways.
Why the environment needs water The environment needs water to maintain important rivers and wetlands. Water management Common water management terms Complex terminology is used for water management across the Basin.
Allocations, the states and the MDBA Each Basin state has different rules and requirements about how water is allocated. Regular reports, Murray data and storages Summary of operations for the River Murray system including storage, flow and salinity data.
Catchments Discover more about the Basin in your region by exploring the catchments in the Basin. Infrastructure managed by the MDBA Dams, barrages and weirs in the River Murray regulate water flows and help deliver of water to communities, irrigators and the environment. Water markets and trade Trade is vital for irrigators by allowing flexibility in response to water availability.
Community updates Reporting water quality issues Maintaining water quality is crucial to sustaining human life and a healthy, working Basin.
Why did the fish deaths happen? Fish deaths in the Basin are caused by a combination of factors. Why don't we close the Murray river mouth? The mouth of the River Murray is the only point in the Basin where the river system connects to the sea, creating a unique environment. Why is the Barmah Choke flooded when there's a drought?
Water in the River Murray is often stored upstream and delivered to downstream users through the Barmah Choke, a narrow section of the river.
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