Myths about the MurrayOnce upon a time when there was drought...

Myths about the Murray

Once upon a time when there was drought the Murray River did run dry.
“Water was never more than two feet deep while we carted timber, and for a long time in autumn 1915 was perfectly dry, the river having stopped running in February or March.” Russell McDonald, Riversdale, Central Murray Valley

Salt levels are rising.
It was once feared that because of rising river salinity levels, Adelaide’s drinking water would become salty.
Murray River salinity has been recorded on a daily basis at Morgan since 1938. [2]
The peaks in salinity in 1967/1968 and 1982/1983 corresponded with years of low river flow because of drought. [3] However, during the recent drought river salinity levels continued to fall despite reduced inflows. This is a consequence of improved on-farm drainage management and salt interception schemes. [4]



The river no longer runs dry.
Rainfall is not declining.
Salt levels are not rising.
The Lower Lakes have a marine origin and estuarine history.
The Murray’s mouth closed many times before European settlement.
The barrages have reduced the natural tidal prism by 90 percent which has reduced flushing of the system.
During the recent drought acid sulfate soils formed because the barrages acted as dykes preventing inflows from the Southern Ocean.
Current management of the Lower Lakes is not sustainable.

The Solution

Despite past dire predictions the Murray River has not been lost to salt or drought.
But the upstream storages are just not large enough to keep the Lower Lakes with adequate freshwater during protracted drought.
The solution is local, during drought the barrages need to be opened to let Lake Alexandrina fill with seawater. The barrages also need to be opened during autumn to allow spawning of the Mulloway. [13]
In short, there is a need to restore the Murray River’s estuary.
If the estuary was restored there would also be more water for upstream environments, communities and food producers.

More here

http://www.mythandthemurray.org/myths-about-the-murray/