Significant progress has been made towards the Murray-Darling Basin Plan water recovery targets.
Progress towards the ‘Bridging the Gap’ target
The original ‘Bridging the Gap’ water recovery target for surface water was 2,750 GL/y. Following two amendments to the Basin plan in 2018 this target was changed to 2,075 GL/y subject to the implementation of a range of measures to achieve the environmental outcomes with less water.
Breaking down the target
To achieve the ‘Bridging the Gap’ target – It is broken down into a number of smaller targets for different local areas. For example, the Lower Darling area has different targets to the Victorian Murray or the South Australian Murray areas. These different areas are called Sustainable Diversion Limit (SDL) resource units and there are 29 for surface water and 80 for groundwater across the Murray-Darling Basin.
Each SDL resource unit has both a Local target and a Shared target.
- Local targets are for water recovered in the specific SDL resource units.
- Shared targets are for water recovered to be contributed towards a shared target within a zone. For example, the Southern Basin NSW Zone consists of the Lower Darling, Murrumbidgee and NSW Murray resource units. It has a Shared target of 458 GL/y.
All local and shared targets in the different units and zones contribute towards the overall ‘Bridging the Gap’ target of 2,075 GL/y.
'Bridging the Gap' surface water recovery
The table below shows a summary of the surface water recovered towards the ‘Bridging the Gap’ target in the Murray-Darling Basin as at 31 March 2023.
| Total Basin ‘Bridging the Gap’ Target | Progress towards target | Remaining recovery |
|---|---|---|
| 2,075.0 GL/y | 2,107.4 GL/y | 46.0 GL/y |
These are indicative figures based on current calculation methods – see Water recovery accounting for details.
Remaining recovery and excess recovery
While it would appear that the total target of 2,075 GL/y has been exceeded – there remains a need to recover 46 GL/y. This is because some SDL resource units have recovered water above their targets – while other units are yet to achieve their target in full.
All units and zones need to achieve their targets in full to complete the overall ‘Bridging the Gap’ target.
Excess recovery has occurred due to updates to calculation methods that showed greater volumes of water recovery than was originally calculated. These calculations will not be finalised until all Water Resource plans are accredited – at which time any confirmed excess recovery will be assessed.
'Bridging the Gap' groundwater recovery
Under ‘Bridging the Gap’ there is also a target for groundwater recovery in two SDL resource units. The table below shows progress towards this target as at 31 March 2023.
| ‘Bridging the Gap’ Groundwater Target | Progress towards target | Remaining recovery |
|---|---|---|
| 38.45 GL/y | 35.25 GL/y | 3.20 GL/y |
These are indicative figures based on current calculation methods – see Water recovery accounting for details.
Progress towards the 450 GL/y for enhanced environmental outcomes
Progress towards the 450 GL/y additional water recovery target is achieved through efficiency measures that have neutral or positive socio-economic impact. The table below shows progress towards this target as at 31 March 2023.
| Target | Total water recovery registered | Total water recovery contracted (including registered volume) | Remaining recovery |
|---|---|---|---|
| 450.0 GL/y | 12.0 GL/y | 26.0 GL/y | 424.0 GL/y |
These are indicative figures based on current calculation methods – see Water recovery accounting for details.
For details on the Off-farm Efficiency Program and currently approved efficiency projects - see Off-farm Efficiency Program
Publications
The department publishes monthly updates to provide details on water recovery progress in each SDL resource unit.
Current recovery as at 31 March 2023
Surface water recovery including the Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism
The following publications provide details on the progress of water recovery in relation to ‘Bridging the Gap’, including the Sustainable Diversion Limits Adjustment Mechanism (SDLAM).
Download
| Document | File size |
|---|---|
| Surface water recovery including the SDLAM PDF | 156 KB |
| Surface water recovery including the SDLAM XLSX | 47.3 KB |
| Water recovery under the Basin Plan PDF | 161 KB |
| Water recovery under the Basin Plan XLSX | 43.3 KB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Progress of water recovery towards Groundwater SDLs
The following publications provide details on the progress of water recovery in relation to Groundwater Sustainable Diversion Limits (SDLs).
Download
| Document | File size |
|---|---|
| Progress of water recovery towards Groundwater SDLs under the Basin Plan PDF | 121 KB |
| Progress of water recovery towards Groundwater SDLs under the Basin Plan XLSX | 727 KB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Registered surface water recovery under the Basin Plan
The following publications are provided to show the water recovery registered to the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.
Download
| Document | File size |
|---|---|
| Surface water recovery registered to the CEWH PDF | 179 KB |
| Surface water recovery registered to the CEWH XLSX | 45.9 KB |
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Links
The following links provide further information on water recovery: