When the River Runs Dry, page-127

 

I  agree, valuable water should not be used to flush the lower reaches of the river.The first priority should be to safeguard the $30 billion Murray-Darling Basin.

 

But sometimes hard decisions are needed and we seem to be approaching that point. If the next winter's rains in the catchment fail then it will have a crisis on our hands. Short term water prices will skyrocket and that will result in higher grocery store prices, along with a lowering of production from the region.

 

A lack of water surety will frighten off long-term investment and in time the region will continue to shrink.

 

IMO we have been let down by both politicians and MD Basin Authority as we were assured the $13 billion spend would resolve irrigation and environmental flow issues.

 

But your idea of restoring the Murray to its natural state isn’t practical due to the many changes made to the watercourse via locks and weirs. We also need some flow to avoid toxic algal blooms within the Murray.

 

Long term we cannot remain at the mercy of rains and IMO there is no choice but to consider building a North South pipeline that will redirect floodwaters into the MD basin headwaters.

 

That water will find its way into the deep and cooler southern dams like the Hume and allay well-grounded fears held by both growers and townspeople who depend on the local economy.