Water For Rivers - Background

Water for Rivers' fundamental purpose is to help to improve the health of the Snowy River and River Murray by acquiring water efficiency savings to enable additional dedicated environmental flows of 212GL for the Snowy River and 70GL for the River Murray by the end of June 2012.

It is also to commission environmental and riverine works, in addition to works commissioned by Snowy Hydro Limited, in the Snowy River, the Snowy montane rivers and the River Murray, as nominated and agreed by Member Governments.

The business of Water for Rivers is to:

to investigate water efficiency projects, including potential opportunities for saving water or purchasing water entitlements
to fund and commission water efficiency projects and to contract with third parties to carry out those projects
if necessary, to purchase water entitlements from willing sellers in the River Murray upstream of the South Australian border, the Murrumbidgee River system and the Goulburn River system
to commission necessary environmental and riverine works in the Snowy River, the Snowy montane rivers and the River Murray system, as nominated and agreed by the Members
if required, to be able to temporarily hold water entitlements prior to their transfer to the respective State as environmental entitlements
to deal with the States with respect to salinity impacts (if any) of the Company's activities
to perform any other business necessary or incidental to these functions; and
undertake such other activities to achieve further environmental flows as the Members may agree in writing from time to time.

Purpose