Murray-Darling Basin

The Murray-Darling Basin is the catchment for the Murray and Darling Rivers and all their tributaries, covering most of inland NSW and extending from Queensland to South Australia. It is the twentieth largest river catchment in the world, covering more than a million square kilometres, and contains 22 major catchments.

It is a significant area for food production and aquatic ecosystems. Appropriate water usage in the Basin is important, both nationally and for the more than two million people who live within the Basin. Historically, the Murray-Darling Basin was managed by the States. However, in an effort to improve the environmental outcomes of the Basin as a whole, the first Murray-Darling Agreement was reached in 1987.

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    Basin Plan

    Learn about why the Murray-Darling Basin Plan was developed and about the establishment of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

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    Supply and efficiency measures

    There are currently 36 proposed supply measure projects across the Murray-Darling Basin, of which NSW is the lead or co-proponent state on 22.

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    Constraints management

    Constraints are in place as a strategy to limit the volume or timing of the delivery of environmental water from the Basin.