Water Recovery Program
Water for Rivers has been set a water savings target of 282 gigalitres of water entitlement by June 2012. The three member governments (New South Wales, Victoria and the Commonwealth) have committed $375 million to achieve this target. The Commonwealth Government has since pledged an additional $50 million to the Water for Rivers water recovery program.
The water recovered under the Water for Rivers program must be sourced from the Murrumbidgee, Goulburn and Murray River systems upstream of the South Australian border.
Water for Rivers will achieve this water recovery target by:
- investigating water efficiency projects, including potential opportunities for saving water or purchasing water entitlements;
- funding and commissioning water efficiency projects and contracting with third parties to carry out those projects;
- if necessary, purchasing water entitlements from willing sellers in the River Murray upstream of the South Australian border, the Murrumbidgee River system and the Goulburn River system;
- commissioning 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, temporarily holding water entitlements prior to their transfer to the respective State as environmental entitlements;
- dealing with the States with respect to salinity impacts (if any) of the Company's activities;
- performing any other business necessary or incidental to these functions; and
- undertaking such other activities to achieve further environmental flows as the Members may agree in writing from time to time.
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