Murray Futures is a significant opportunity for South Australia to help the Murray River - from the Murray Mouth and through to the Victorian border. Record low inflows to the River Murray system, over-allocation and the effects of climate change have made it vital to relieve pressure on the Murray.

The Murray Futures program is funded by the Australian Government’s $12.9 billion Water for the Future program to secure future water supplies, renew irrigation industries and support nearby communities. It will also improve the river’s health through more flexible management of the water system.

The 10-year $610 million Murray Futures program includes:

• $120M Lower Lakes Pipelines to secure a quality water supply to the townships, communities and irrigators who draw water from the Lower Lakes.
• $200M Lower Lakes and Coorong Recovery to undertake a series of medium to long-term projects around the Lower Lakes and Coorong to help protect this valuable Ramsar site and to sustain the communities reliance on it.
• $110M River Industry Renewal to encourage more efficient irrigation communities through the uptake of newer and smarter irrigation technology funded by the Private Irrigation Infrastructure Program managed by the Australian Government.
• $100M Riverine Recovery to improve how we manage river wetlands and floodplains from the SA border to Wellington.
• $80M Water Buy Back to purchase water entitlements from willing sellers, with water to be held by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.

Of course as the broader South Australian community, we’ll need to use water smarter, do more with less, and reduce our dependence on the river.