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Which Catchment Water Management Board area are you in? A bore takes water from the Great Artesian Basin. Because the water is under pressure it will A catchment is an area of land flow continually unless it is controlled. that collects surface and groundwater that drains to the lowest point, usually a creek, South East river, lake or aquifer. www.secatchment.com.au From the outback to the sea, phone 8723 2271 everyone lives in a catchment area. The South East has some of the It is important that catchment water State’s most productive land with wine is managed in a way that protects grapes, forestry, and other agriculture. the quality and quantity of our water As well as supporting this production, and the health of waterways and its surface and extensive groundwater eco-systems. To help to do this, systems are essential for the health of Catchment Water Management many unique eco-systems including Boards have been established. Bool Lagoon and Picanninie Ponds. Different Boards have different needs and problems to address, Eyre Peninsula but they all work closely with the phone 86825655 community to efficiently manage the This Board covers council areas from water resources in their area, protect Ceduna to Cleve. Water is particularly and rehabilitate their waterways and precious in this region as it depends eco-systems, and find innovative and largely on groundwater and the only sustainable methods for use way that the water in the aquifer is of these water resources. recharged is by rainfall. This area is an important producer for the State Northern Adelaide and Barossa providing nearly half our wheat, and www. catchments.net/nab about one third of our wool and lambs. phone 8285 2033 This Board covers an area nearly Arid Areas 2,000 square kilometers and 320,000 phone 8204 9131 EVERYBODY NEEDS people. It is home to some of the This Board is responsible for nearly most productive agricultural land, 80% of the State! And because most important manufacturing industries, of the area is arid, managing the the premium grape growing region of scarce water it does have is even the Barossa Valley, and the fruit and Jacobs Creek, before restoration more important. Some of South veggie basket of the Northern Australia's most important water Adelaide Plains. Water from this resources are found here including catchment area is discharged into the the Lake Eyre Basin and its rivers, Onkaparinga sea through the Barker Inlet. and the Great Artesian Basin. These www.onkaparinga.net Jacobs Creek, after restoration water resources are vital to outback Patawalonga and Torrens phone 8374 6000 communities and sustain some River Murray www.cwmb.sa.gov.au This Board covers an area from unique eco-systems. phone 8271 9190 Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills to www.rivermurray.sa.gov.au phone 8582 4477 We couldn’t Our future These Boards covers much of Adelaide, Hallet Cove and Sellicks Beach. live without it. depends on it. and the Adelaide Hills region. The As well as the Onkaparinga River Dominated by the Murray, this area provides water for the city and Catchment, this diverse area includes Board's responsibilities stretch from Water is the most precious commodity We cannot continue these includes the River Torrens, West Field River, Christies Creek and the the Victorian border to the Murray on earth. Without it, life on our planet could harmful practices any longer. Lakes/Port Adelaide River catchments entire Willunga Basin. It covers 920 Mouth, including the most relevant not exist. Managing our water resources is vital Now we have to rehabilitate our water and the Patawalonga Basin. Land use square kilometres of mixed urban areas of the Murray Darling Basin in for the future of South Australia - our population, our resources, protect and heal them, and develop in the area ranges from urban to rural. and rural land including extensive South Australia. The area's economy environment, our economy and our quality-of-life. new ways of managing them. Gulf St Vincent where the water from areas of grazing lands, orchards, is largely based on agriculture, We now know that some of the ways we used water Every South Australian can and must play a part in these catchments is ultimately drained vegetable growing and vineyards. manufacturing, and tourism - all heavily in the past were inefficient and have caused damage to our protecting our water. It is vital for our future, and our is an important aquatic eco-system. reliant on the local water resources. waterways and surrounding catchments. children's future. These web sites will help you to Need to know more? find out more about ‘water care’ www.watercare.net www.ministers.sa.gov.au www.mlrcp.sa.gov.au Watercare - links to many other sites for water This South Australian Government site includes a full Mt Lofty Ranges Catchment Program. Onground organisations, and activities including Kesab collection of speeches and press releases on water issues. Mt Lofty action and funded projects can be found Watercare Club and Watercare III student resources. www.mdbc.gov.au at this site. www.SavetheMurray.com Murray Darling Basin Commission’s extensive site www.murrayusers.sa.gov.au Links to dozens of other sites about the River Murray includes their many initiatives throughout the Basin. River Murray Urban Users provides information about plus news, chat room, and resource material. www.irrigation.org.au the Murray River, resources and fact sheets, news, www.dwr.sa.gov.au Irrigation Association of Australia site includes a directory events and schools programs. Department for Water Resources site including of irrigation products and services. www.catchments.net legislation, policies and publications. www.awa.asn.au Links to individual catchment water management www.sa.waterwatch.org.au Australian Water Association promotes responsible board sites with information on your area, how you Waterwatch SA - how to improve water quality and management of water and its related resources. Includes can help, fact sheets and more. involve the community. a product and services directory. Acknowledgement: South Australian Tourism Commission for photography (www.southaustralia.com) Continuing The the Coorong The waters of the River Murray begin their journey in the Australian Alps and more than 2,500 km later they reach the sea, entering the Coorong through the tidal Murray Mouth. This area is listed Murray as a water bird habitat of world-wide The lifeline of importance under the Ramsar Our State Convention: an international treaty recognizing A Message from the value of the Premier wetlands. To protect these important All South Australians wetlands the South Australian “should be proud of the way we and Commonwealth Governments have purchased the property of have begun a new era in our Wyndgate, at the south-eastern end relationship with our waterways of Hindmarsh Island, at the and water resources. western entrance to the Coorong We often tell others that we are National Park. the driest State on the driest Now Wyndgate can develop further continent. But now we can as an important conservation and rehabilitation site for the wetlands, also say that we are leading the woodlands and associated wildlife. nation, and sometimes the world, It will enhance the conservation and in finding the best ways to use, management of the whole of the manage and conserve water. Murray Mouth, Lower Lakes and Coorong areas. From our catchment water management boards to our re- Pictured right: Aerial view of Wyndgate use of treated effluent, from our conservation site aquifer recharger to our irrigation Rehabilitation improvements, from our ‘Save We rely on Doing their bit The Group raised funds through the Murray’ campaign to our the Murray industry and Government and now salt inception schemes ~ we are $40m Irrigation in Berri and around 150 people work on a range The River Murray is the largest doing everything we can to System to halve of activities from Lyrup Ferry to and most important of South Barmera Overland Corner including: protect our water resources Australia’s water resources. We salinity The Berri Barmera Local Action • Running River Care Courses, for future generations. rely on it to support our industry, Irrigators are by far the largest users Planning Group started 4 years ago educating over 100 irrigators on how regional communities and primary We have even managed to of water from the River Murray. to improve the way they use water. production. We even rely on it to when 12 volunteers got together to make the future of the River Without this water, many of the provide drinking water for look after their local area. Their aim • Involving irrigators in the FREE use industries along the River would be Murray a top priority for the Adelaide and many regional was to find out how their region’s of expensive scheduling equipment, unable to survive. But inefficient and whole nation. townships. Some years, up to to encourage them to adopt better outdated irrigation methods have led natural resources had degraded and 90% of Adelaide’s tap water is practices, or purchase similar We need to keep leading the to rising salinity and these industries what they could do to help. provided by the Murray. equipment. way. And the information in 4 States Working Together The Fight for the Murray know that if they want to survive they Laying the new underground hydraulic pipelines • Lowering tracks, de-silting pipes this supplement is a very good Half Our Water The River Murray is part of the South Australia has been have to protect the river. Murray Darling river system, the instrumental in securing a and installing structures to increase start for everyone who wants On average half of the total water Irrigation Improvement Plan A Significant Step flows onto local wetlands to flush salt South Australia uses for irrigation, longest in Australia and 15th commitment of hundreds of millions to help.