Purified recycled water
Murray-Darling Basin options
What are the options?
Both schemes involve diverting water to recharge the Murray Darling river system – together they would deliver approximately 2 million megalitres each year. They offer the opportunity to secure water for farmers in Queensland and other States. They also offer the potential to support further industrial growth in the country’s north.
Option one
The Northern/Western Rivers scheme involves moving water (principally into the Flinders and Thomson) from the Tully-Herbert-Burdekin Rivers. The water would be moved from the Thomson to the headwaters of the Warrego (the top end of the Murray Darling system). This would provide secure water for irrigators and allow for the expansion of industry in the north.
Murray Darling river system options map (jpg - 39KB)
Option two
The Northern Rivers option involves the drawing of water from the Mann River in northern NSW. It involves the construction of a weir 20 kilometres upstream from the confluence of the Mann and Clarence Rivers, some 60 kilometres north west of Grafton. Water would be pumped through 70 kilometres of pressure tunnel to a regulating weir on the Mole River plant before flowing into the Dumaresq River and into the Murray Darling Basin.
Murray Darling river system options map (jpg - 39KB)
Last reviewed 21 February 2007
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