Executive summary
- Purpose of this report
- Key achievements for 2005–06
- Taking the Strategy into the future
- Structure of this report
The Basin Salinity Management Strategy 2001–2015 (BSMS) guides communities and governments in working together to control salinity and protect key natural resource values within their catchments.
The BSMS establishes targets for the in-stream salinity of each tributary valley and the Murray-Darling system as a whole. These targets reflect the shared responsibility for action both between valley communities and between States. The BSMS provides a stable and accountable framework that generates confidence in how we are tracking our joint efforts to manage salinity. It has a Basin-wide focus to maintain water quality, control the rise in salt loads, control land degradation and protect assets while maximising the benefits of salinity control.
Under the broader Strategy, the partner governments undertake actions that address salinity. The Murray-Darling Basin Commission provides a coordination role as well as carrying out specific activities such as management of the Salinity Registers, coordination of the investigation of salt interception schemes and sharing technical and scientific knowledge to meet the agreed outcomes of the Strategy.
Purpose of this report
The Annual Implementation Report summarises progress in implementing the BSMS over the year. The report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of:
- salinity management at Basin and valley scales including progress towards established targets;
- progress in works and measures (such as improved water operation rules, irrigation efficiency and salt interception schemes) that are designed to prevent increased in-stream salinity in the Basin;
- accountability for actions that cause an increase in in-stream salinity and actions that mitigate or offset these increases;
- improved knowledge and understanding of salinity, its impacts on the river, and the development of predictive and management tools to aid decision making;
- achievements during the past year, emerging challenges and current activities in response to these challenges.
This report is one of a suite of three documents that report on the Strategy for the 2005–06 year. The other two documents are the Report of the Independent Audit Group for Salinity and a short summary brochure, the BSMS Annual Implementation Report 2005–06 – Summary.
Murray River at Picnic Point
Photo: C. Keller
Key achievements for 2005–06
The 2005–06 year has built on past achievements in salinity management. Collectively, these achievements set a solid foundation for the future. Achievements in 2005–06 include:
- salt kept out of the Murray: the two new and seven existing salt interception schemes have increased the interception tonnage from 1100 per day in 2004–05 to 1370 tonnes per day in 2005–06 such that total salt interception across the Basin is now approximately 500 000 tonnes/year.
- salt interception targets: salt interception schemes (operating, under construction and approved for construction) will achieve an estimated reduction in salinity at Morgan, South Australia, of approximately 40 EC. These schemes, together with improved irrigation efficiency and the impact of the drought, have contributed to the recorded salinity at Morgan of 484 EC or less for 95 per cent of the time in 2005–06.
- end-of-valley targets: end-of-valley targets are the key indicators for the management of Catchment Actions to achieve long-term improved salinity management. All four Basin States now have end-of-valley targets endorsed by the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council.
- improved governance and reporting: the success of the Strategy’s governance and reporting arrangements are dependent upon a coordinated and cooperative approach between jurisdictional partners. These processes were significantly improved in 2005–06, culminating in the application of improved datasets to thoroughly re-assess salinity outcomes from Accountable Actions across the Basin.
- more-robust Registers: the BSMS Salinity Registers provide the basis for ensuring that activities, which lead to river salinity costs, are offset by activities that reduce these costs. Significant improvements in the data, upon which the Registers are based, have meant that the Registers are now more robust, providing greater confidence in many Register entries. The Registers have also been adjusted to preserve the agreed benefit to New South Wales and Victoria that had been affected by the new method of calculating the Registers under the BSMS.
- rolling five-year reviews: the Registers have also been improved through the completion of reviews of the technical work underpinning several Register entries. Under the Strategy, Accountable Actions must be reviewed on a five-yearly basis. Queensland completed reviews for the Border Rivers and Moonie catchments while New South Wales focused on updating the salinity audit for upland catchments. Victoria completed the Shepparton Irrigation Region review, and South Australia made significant progress on the Mallee region reviews.
Kings Billabong, Mildura
Photo: C. Keller
Taking the Strategy into the future
While Strategy implementation to date provides a sound basis for tackling salinity over the long term, some key challenges remain. These include addressing both short-term threats and long-term causes of salinity. Priority activities aimed at addressing these matters in 2006–07 cover a number of areas:
- Mid-Term Review: a key component of the BSMS is a Mid-Term Review to assess the usefulness of the Strategy for effective salinity management across the Basin. The review, now under way, focuses on the achievements of the Strategy to date and an assessment of the implications of any recent changes in knowledge and policies. It will also provide recommendations aimed at enabling the Strategy to meet its objectives by 2015.
- Basin Salinity Target: modelling shows that in-stream salinity would have been 867 EC for 95 per cent of the time under 2006 levels of land use and development. This in-stream impact is above the Basin target of 800 EC for 95 per cent over that period. This significant issue is being considered within the Mid-Term Review concerns the 1975–2000 climatic sequence (the Benchmark Period used as the basis for predicting long-term salinity outcomes at Morgan).
- Floodplain management and post-flood salt accession: in its three previous audit reports, the Independent Audit Group for Salinity has expressed concern over the short-term economic and environmental threats arising from salt accumulation in the lower Murray floodplains. Investigations currently under way target improved understanding of this accumulation and the risks of mobilisation from the floodplain that may arise, particularly after the next major flood. In addressing the issue, the BSMS is also building linkages with The Living Murray program to ensure a collaborative approach to improved floodplain health and a response to the risk of saline groundwater draining from the floodplain to the river.
- Catchment Actions: under the Strategy, the end-of-valley salinity targets are the basis for establishing Programs of Actions to address the diffuse sources of salt in the landscape. Regional partners have made impressive achievements in implementing catchment strategies. However, there is a need for the Strategy partners to work together to integrate and align national funding initiatives and reporting within the catchment strategies and to address BSMS targets and priorities across the Basin.
- Continued salt interception: the Strategy incorporates a works program of salt interception and drainage disposal targeted to offset the predicted future increase in average salinity at Morgan, South Australia (the Basin Salinity Target site) by 61 EC. The revised target date for this is 2010. With works completed or approved for construction to achieve a 40 EC reduction, an investigation program is under way to identify options to achieve the remaining 21 EC required under the Strategy.
Structure of this report
This Annual Implementation Report is arranged into a series of chapters that report progress by the partner governments and the MDBC in implementing the BSMS over the year. It looks at the broader Basin issues, then focuses on in-valley actions and summarises current challenges and activities.
Chapter 1 provides the context for the Strategy, detailing how it is implemented and explaining the roles of the partners.
Chapter 2 contains the Executive Summary from the Report of the Independent Audit Group for Salinity as well as a short explanation of the role of the audit.
Chapter 3 overviews salinity management at a Basin level while Chapter 4 examines salinity management at the valley and catchment level.
Chapter 5 highlights current challenges in implementation of the BSMS, and Chapter 6 previews the activities under way in the 2006–07 year.
Cliffs on the River Murray near Waikerie, showing groundwater seepage
Photo: P. Pfeiffer