ANNUAL REPORT 2010 – 11

Save the River Murray Fund Annual Report 2010 – 11

Prepared for the South Australian Parliament by the Minister for Water

and the River Murray November 2011.

Photos appearing on page 6 and 16 are courtesy of Greg Rinder, CSIRO.

ISSN 1832 – 7869

Printed January 2012

!"#$%"&'("#)*$!"+,-!*#,.!%&'(#/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*45#!"#&'(#

achievements listed in this Annual Report, please contact the Department

for Water on 08 8463 6800 or visit www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au

Save the River Murray Fund Annual Report 2010 – 11

CONTENTS

RETURNING WATER TO THE RIVER 4

SECURING WATER RIGHTS 5

PROTECTING THE RIVER 9

ENHANCING THE ENVIRONMENT 14

BUILDING CAPACITY 17

PROGRAM STATEMENT FOR 18 THE PERIOD ENDED 30 JUNE 2011

1676/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"TU5#G'(*#;

/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

3676/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"!6+''07!3$869!5,5$50$54&!/02!ESTABLISHED IN 2002 IN RESPONSE TO SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT THE RIVER MURRAY SYSTEM WAS DEGRADED, AND A CONCERN THAT ITS DEGRADATION $.'&0$&,&-!$.&!6+''07#"(F!0("3#!$#_J#QR#

(long-term average) of water from within

&'(#@&,&(5#,*4#(Y:(*4)&%"(#!$#VUJ#+)99)!*#

!*#G,&("#"(F!0("3#)*)-,-0(@A#

/!%&'#8%@&",9),#G,@#&'(#L"@@&,&(#&!#

meet these targets (through acquiring

government-owned water and purchases

from willing sellers).

During 2010–11 South Australia added

&!#)&@#G,&("#"(F!0("3#F!*&").%-!*#.3#

purchasing a further 1.11 GL of water

from SA Water and providing this to

B'(#R)0)*?#2%"",3#D*)-,-0(A

Funds from the Save the River Murray

Levy have also allowed the state to invest

in water recovery projects put forward

.3#!&'("#M,@)*#c%")@4)F-!*@A#D*0(@&+(*

in upstream measures contributed to

increasing the amount of water recovered

for environmental purposes and will

.(*(L/!%&'#8%@&",9),#&'"!%?'#)*F"(,@(4#

(*0)"!*+(*&,9#I!G@A

SA River Murray Environmental

Water Management

During 2010–11 the Department for

Water worked with other government

agencies, the South Australian

Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources

Management Board (SA MDB NRM

M!,"4^#,*4#&'(#F!++%*)&3#&!#)4(*-$3#

:")!")&3#@)&(@#&',+(&'(#BR2#,*4#\]XE#

criteria and secured environmental water

and funding.

An annual watering plan was developed

for the River Murray in South Australia

and an annual report on the use of

environmental water received during

2009–10 was prepared. The highest River

2%"",3#I!G@#@)*F(#=KK_#9(4#&!#@)?*)LF,*

.,"",?(#!%d9!G@#,*4#&'(#)*%*4,-!*#!$#

the majority of the state’s River Murray

G(&9,*4@#,*4#I!!4:9,)*@A#],"93#)*#;

5676/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"!%025,!52!IMPORTANT FOR LICENSED WATER USERS AND THE WIDER SOUTH AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY IN ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL TERMS.

/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

7676/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

9676/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

11676/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

13676/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

15676/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

17676/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"&!0,-!SKILLS THAT WILL BETTER EQUIP SOUTH AUSTRALIANS TO RESPONSIBLY MANAGE OUR NATURAL RESOURCES. THIS WILL ALLOW SOUTH AUSTRALIANS TO SHARE IN MAKING DECISIONS FOR THEIR SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FUTURES.

A system was developed to study

grapevine responses to the combined

(h(F!$#"(4%F(4#)"")?,-!*#,99!F,-!*#

and elevated temperature, which are

expected more frequently under climate

F',*?(#:"(4)F-!*@#$!"#/!%&'#8%@&",9),A#

B'(#L"@(Y:(")+(*&(@&(4#&'(#)+:,F

!*#/')",o#?",:(@#,*4#!::!"&%*)-(@#

for vineyard adjustments have been

proposed for growers.

Research into the impacts of reduced

G,&("#,99!F,-!*#!*#1)0("9,*4#F"!:@#',@#

*!G#@')f(4#$"!+#,@@(@@)*?#F"!:#@%"0)0,9#

to crop recovery since returning to full

G,&("#,99!F,-!*A#B'(#"(@%9&@#!$#&')@#

"(@(,"F'#G)99#.(e("#:"(:,"(#?"!G("@#$!"#

drought periods. Research has shown that

G'(*#:"!&",F&(4#"(4%F-!*@#)*#)"")?,-!*#

,99!F,-!*@#,"(#*(Y$!"(F,@&5#,#"!&,-!*,9#

@3@&(+#!$#G,&("#"(4%F-!*#,F"!@@#&'(#

(*-"(#0)*(3,"45#",&'("#&',*#@)?*)LF,*

"(4%F-!*@#F!*&,)*(4#&!#@:(F)LF#0,")(-(@5#

would be the best strategy to minimise

long-term impacts on vines.

Living Murray Icon Site Indigenous

Facilitators

\'!G)99,#D*4)?(*!%@#$,F)9)&,-!*#G,@#

provided through an arrangement

with the Victorian Mallee Catchment

2,*,?(+(*%&'!")&3A#1(9,-!*@'):@#

were built with a range of Aboriginal

?"!%:@A#`"(@(*&,-!*@#G("(#+,4(#&!#Z(3#

groups and liaison with key individuals

G,@#%*4("&,Z(*A#8#*(G@9(e("#G,@#

produced and distributed, a training

program was developed and delivered

and links to the icon site planning and

management were established.

The Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray

Mouth icon site program delivered

&'(#D*4)?(*!%@#$,F)9)&,-!*#&'"!%?'#,#

partnership with the Ngarrindjeri Regional

Authority (NRA). Members of the NRA

,@@)@&(4#G)&'#F!*4)-!*#+!*)&!")*?#,*4#

provided input to the revision of the icon

site environmental watering plan.

Key Achievements

C##/F)(*-LF#(0,9%,-!*#!$#&'(#Guide to

the Basin Plan#.3#&'(#Q!34("#D*@-&%&(#

led to improvements in eWater

ecological modelling packages. During

&'(#(0,9%,-!*#:"!F(@@5#(X,&("#G,@#

consulted and asked to make changes

and improvements to its modelling

packages. As a result, an improved

0("@)!*#!$#&'(#]I!G#`"(4)F&!"#:"!4%F

was developed and released.

C##B'(#4(0(9!:+(*!$#F!!:(",-0(#

arrangements for the delivery of the

Indigenous facilitator role for The Living

Murray icon sites.

/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"#n:(",-!*@#t#2,)*&(*,*F( ;;J 0

Wetland Management 173 ;UJ

D"")?,-!*#1(@(,"F'5#B(F'*!9!?3#W)h%@)!*#,*4#]4%F,-!* 890 800

Water Quality Improvement 309 346

Total Payments 26,458 17,622

Net Increase in Funds (1,458) 4,478

Funds held at 30 June 4,808 6,266

19676/,0(#&'(#1)0("#2%"",3# %*4#8**%,9#1(:!"

R)F(*@(4#%*4("#\"(,-0(#\!++!*@#

8e").%-!*#_A