Current Issues Facing The Murray
the Murray has been in Australia for over 40 million years but since then has been under serious threat from a number of environmental problems. One of the most current and serious problems the river is facing is the high salinity content (salt content). The salt content of the river has rocketed upwards since the European Settlers landing in Australia. Another problem is the Murray has low gradients throughout the length which cause it to flow slowly which means that the water only just reaches the Murray Mouth. Other problems include the way water is converted from river to farm, overuse causing high erosion and plants killing the banks. If these problems continue the Murray is under serious threat of all the water drying out.
The most current issue so far is the long running debate on South Australia's water supply. South Australia is fighting for a final, fair and environmentally sustainable water allocation system for the Murray-Darling Basin.New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and South Australia all take water out of rivers in the Basin. Much of Adelaide’s drinking water supply is sourced from the River Murray – but decades of over-allocation have damaged the system and South Australia is paying the price.South Australia wants a better plan that ensures the future health of the river system and the industries and communities that depend on it. The other states use 93% of the water and South Australia only uses 7%. With the lack of water from the basin we're having to use the water from the upstream Murray which is not as clean and takes the precious water the Murray so desperatly needs. Go to future solutions to see how you can help.
Salinity is a major problem and has been for years throughtout the Murray River. Salinty is an extremely high salt content that is damaging the place its in. High salt content in the river is a very bad thing and could lead to the water becoming unfit for domestic and industrial use. The high salt content in the water can mean that for farmers the water will not allow crops to grow as well because the salt is stopping them. It can also kill trees and make the land unsuitable for Agricultural purposes. Salinity also increases the hardness of the water which can mean for domestic uses more softeners or water detergents have to be used to make the water suitable. This can also cause scaling in pipes and heaters. In industry high levels of dissolved salts can cause corrosion, scale and poor steam quality which can mean that there is more need for water softeners.
The Murray river has low gradients over the entire length which cause it to flow slowly. If the River flows slowly it takes a lot of time and effort to reach the Murray mouth. If the river continues to flow slowly it might end up not reaching the Murray mouth at all and we need it too. Having low gradients is also a problem for the fauna and flora that surround the river. the slower the flow the more time it takes to get to these plants and animals that rely on the river for survival. Low gradients is a serious problem that tend to be ignored because of it is not talked of as much as other problems. If we don't do so,etching about this soon then the water will stop reaching the Murray mouth which will have a massive effect on the future of Australia.
One of the biggest problems concerning wasting water comes from how the water is transferred from river to farm. When converting from river to farm usually an above ground system is used. This system results in loss of water. 82% is lost when using these above ground channels but only 5% is lost when using the underground channels that are rarely used. These underground channels are a lot more water efficient and easier to use. To save time however the above ground channels are used that result in a lot of wasted water.
Another problem is the issue of high erosion. Erosion is the Earth being worn away by water flow. Erosion happens all the time and is a natural thing along the banks of the Murray, but too much can be a problem. Too much erosion can mean that whole banks collapse and the trees and plants go with it. The main causes of erosion are waves made by recreational boats, land use by people and rabbits digging holes. Recreational boats push the water into the banks making them get softer and collapse. Erosion is caused by land use from the runoff of the earth. When people are walking past or their on roads in their trucks the earth gets. Pushed into the river splashing the water up the sides and cutting into the banks. When the rabbits dig burrows it weakens the earth making it easier for them to collapse. Rabbits also eat the vegetation which means that the banks are uncovered and easily collapsible.
One of the Murray's minor problems is that some of the flora on the banks are killing the banks of the river. Some plants roots grow so much and spread so far that the banks of the river a being choked and over crowded with that they crumble under the weight and collapse into the river. When the earth floats into the river it can hit fish on its way or it can stay as a clump and kill the fish. Another problem with the plants is that if the roots get too big they can seep into the river and cause hazards for people and animals alike. The big spreading roots can also choke out other plants and stop them from growing to their full extent.
As you can see there are a lot of current issues facing the Murray River at the moment that need addressing as soon as possible.
The most current issue so far is the long running debate on South Australia's water supply. South Australia is fighting for a final, fair and environmentally sustainable water allocation system for the Murray-Darling Basin.New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT and South Australia all take water out of rivers in the Basin. Much of Adelaide’s drinking water supply is sourced from the River Murray – but decades of over-allocation have damaged the system and South Australia is paying the price.South Australia wants a better plan that ensures the future health of the river system and the industries and communities that depend on it. The other states use 93% of the water and South Australia only uses 7%. With the lack of water from the basin we're having to use the water from the upstream Murray which is not as clean and takes the precious water the Murray so desperatly needs. Go to future solutions to see how you can help.
Salinity is a major problem and has been for years throughtout the Murray River. Salinty is an extremely high salt content that is damaging the place its in. High salt content in the river is a very bad thing and could lead to the water becoming unfit for domestic and industrial use. The high salt content in the water can mean that for farmers the water will not allow crops to grow as well because the salt is stopping them. It can also kill trees and make the land unsuitable for Agricultural purposes. Salinity also increases the hardness of the water which can mean for domestic uses more softeners or water detergents have to be used to make the water suitable. This can also cause scaling in pipes and heaters. In industry high levels of dissolved salts can cause corrosion, scale and poor steam quality which can mean that there is more need for water softeners.
The Murray river has low gradients over the entire length which cause it to flow slowly. If the River flows slowly it takes a lot of time and effort to reach the Murray mouth. If the river continues to flow slowly it might end up not reaching the Murray mouth at all and we need it too. Having low gradients is also a problem for the fauna and flora that surround the river. the slower the flow the more time it takes to get to these plants and animals that rely on the river for survival. Low gradients is a serious problem that tend to be ignored because of it is not talked of as much as other problems. If we don't do so,etching about this soon then the water will stop reaching the Murray mouth which will have a massive effect on the future of Australia.
One of the biggest problems concerning wasting water comes from how the water is transferred from river to farm. When converting from river to farm usually an above ground system is used. This system results in loss of water. 82% is lost when using these above ground channels but only 5% is lost when using the underground channels that are rarely used. These underground channels are a lot more water efficient and easier to use. To save time however the above ground channels are used that result in a lot of wasted water.
Another problem is the issue of high erosion. Erosion is the Earth being worn away by water flow. Erosion happens all the time and is a natural thing along the banks of the Murray, but too much can be a problem. Too much erosion can mean that whole banks collapse and the trees and plants go with it. The main causes of erosion are waves made by recreational boats, land use by people and rabbits digging holes. Recreational boats push the water into the banks making them get softer and collapse. Erosion is caused by land use from the runoff of the earth. When people are walking past or their on roads in their trucks the earth gets. Pushed into the river splashing the water up the sides and cutting into the banks. When the rabbits dig burrows it weakens the earth making it easier for them to collapse. Rabbits also eat the vegetation which means that the banks are uncovered and easily collapsible.
One of the Murray's minor problems is that some of the flora on the banks are killing the banks of the river. Some plants roots grow so much and spread so far that the banks of the river a being choked and over crowded with that they crumble under the weight and collapse into the river. When the earth floats into the river it can hit fish on its way or it can stay as a clump and kill the fish. Another problem with the plants is that if the roots get too big they can seep into the river and cause hazards for people and animals alike. The big spreading roots can also choke out other plants and stop them from growing to their full extent.
As you can see there are a lot of current issues facing the Murray River at the moment that need addressing as soon as possible.
Go to the bibliography page for more great websites to visit to help you on your learning of the Murray River.