Victoria is delivering more recovered water in the Murray-Darling Basin to improve the environmental health and long-term sustainability of the Basin while supporting local communities and businesses.
Victorian Minister for Water Gayle Tierney and Federal Minister for Environment and Water Murray Watt have announced new funding for projects that will recover more environmental water for the Murray—Darling Basin.
The projects were identified through the “Planning Our Basin Future Together” Prospectus, which was developed in collaboration with Basin communities by the Victorian Government to plan for the region’s future, with a focus on community engagement.
The Australian Government is funding these projects through the Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program, which invests in water savings projects as part of its commitment to consider all options for additional environmental water recovery. This includes up to $132 million for the Broken Reconfiguration Project and $1.38 million for three feasibility studies.
Working with local communities, the Broken Reconfiguration Project aims to reduce demand on the Broken River system, contribute water to the Basin Plan, enhance reliability for water entitlement holders, increase domestic and stock water supply security, and improve resilience against drought.
“We are continuing to deliver significant environmental works and measures which maximise environmental outcomes from the water available while protecting basin communities,” Victorian Minister for Water Gayle Tierney said. “The successful funding of the Broken reconfiguration project is built on the many years of community-driven discussions to achieve a resilient and sustainable Broken River System.”
Victoria has also secured $1.935 million from the Australian Government to complete a detailed assessment of Restoring Flows to the Mallee Floodplain, aiming to improve environmental outcomes by maximising the use of existing environmental water.
This is in addition to the funding already secured for environmental projects, including the Victorian Murray Floodplain Restoration Project, which will build infrastructure such as flow regulators, channels, and containment banks to direct water onto high-value floodplains along the Murray River.
“A healthy Murray—Darling Basin is vital to our communities, our industries and the environment. That’s why we’ve worked together with Basin states and communities to rescue the Basin Plan and deliver much-needed water,” Federal Minister for Environment and Water Murray Watt said. “Delivering this water is one of the most significant things we can do to protect the environment in this country.”
These projects will contribute to restoring the health of waterways and providing sustainable futures for Basin communities.
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