It would seem from todays news that the imminent collapse of the MDBS at the Coorong and Lakes Albert and Alexandrina will be final by
October this year.THAT NEWS SHOULD BE SENDING ALARM BELLS TO ALL OF US!!!!!
Indeed it looks like we have already gone beyond the brink with this news and so it is timely that Peter's new book has a whole chapter on the MDBS which he claims could be RESTORED if his ideas were given the chance.
The Lakes and the Coorong are in desparate plight....the pollies are still acting like Nero and by the time their MDB plan comes into effect the MDBS (at least at the lower extremity will be lost).
The Lower Lakes taken from
http://www.murrayusers.sa.gov.au/RMUUC- ... er%20Lakes
As River Murray approaches the sea near the end of its 2,200 kilometre course, it arrives at Lakes Alexandrina and Albert before dividing into five channels leading to the Murray Mouth Area. At that point, river water either flows into the Southern Ocean or enters the long coastal lagoon known as the Coorong.
The Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth area once formed a huge estuarine system covering over 75 000 hectares. Today, this is a permanently freshwater environment, with no estuarine influence beyond the Murray Mouth area. This is because the construction of the barrages has prevented seawater from entering the shallow terminal lakes. Other environmental changes brought about in the wake of European settlement also have had a dramatic effect on the Lower Lakes ecosystem.
As the river moves downstream from Mannum, if was originally fringed by permanent swamps occupying a wide floodplain valley. Today these wetlands have been "reclaimed" for agriculture. Swamp reclamation began in the Wellington area in the 1880's. Levees were built, creating a large irrigated area for intensive settlement and grazing. By 1929 development works had drained nearly all of the wetlands along the river between Wellington and Mannum.
River flows are now confined to the main channel. Changes to the flow regime as a result of river regulation have also had an impact as the Murray reaches the sea. Under natural conditions there was almost always some outflow at the mouth. These flows were sufficient to keep Lake Alexandrina fresh for extended periods. Indeed, in the 1800's and early 1900's the Lower Lakes supported a thriving Murray cod fishery. Control of the Murray has caused the overall volume of water passing through the Murray Mouth to be reduced. Although this is largely due to the upstream harnessing of the Murray-Darlings natural flow and the increasing diversions of water from the basin, the barrages have further reduced the flow passing in and out of the mouth under the influence of ocean tides. Current outflows of the Murray Mouth are now only a third of the natural outflows, and periods of four to five years of little outflow can be expected.
More than 14 000 hectares of land are now under irrigation between the barrages and lock 1 at Blanchetown. Today the Lower Lakes region supports a thriving dairy industry, pasture and horticultural crops, and a commercial fishery. Activities in the area have diversified and it is increasingly becoming a multi-use resource. The recreation (link to recreation fact sheet) and tourism sector is rapidly expanding, and there is growing recognition that it is the environmental value of the Lower Lakes which underpins their attraction.
Changes to the natural environment have arisen from a number of sources - construction of barrages and levees , settlement and land use, and more recently the pressure of tourism and recreation. These are all factors which have had an environmental impact on the Lower Lakes, causing problems that now need to be addressed.
The complex system of freshwater and saltwater wetlands that forms the Lower Lakes supports an abundance of birds, animals and fish. More than 240 species of birds have been recorded in the area. The Coorong is recognised as a "Wetland of International Importance" under the Ramsar Convention, and is included on the register of the National Estate. The increasing demands on the Lower Lakes must be managed so as to protect their natural assets.
Demands on the resources of the lower lakes must be managed in an integrated way to reduce environmental impacts and conflicts between users. A management plan will be developed for wise use of the Ramsar wetland, with many opportunities for community involvement in the process.
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The management plan might be a great success when it is implemented in November but unfortunately by that time the MDBS will be DEAD!!!!!