THE State Government has secured $70m to be spent on restoring the Coorong health as part of a historic Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council meeting in Melbourne this month.
All states also agreed to on-farm projects being included as part of a suite of efficiency measures to deliver the 450GL environmental water target, with additional socio-economic criteria agreed to ensure communities benefit from the investment, along with the environment.
The Commonwealth will also fund a study looking at using and funding Adelaide’s under-utilised desalination plant as part of the 450GL.
This will not impact SA Water customers.
Ministers from each of the Murray-Darling Basin jurisdictions, as well as the Australian Government, agreed to the funding to take action to restore the struggling Coorong South Lagoon.
It has been agreed $70m of unallocated South Australian State Priority Project (SPP) funds will be made available for measures to support the long-term health of the Coorong identified in the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin Action Plan.
Of the $70m, up to $2m is being immediately released to support the Commonwealth and South Australian governments to progress and finalise the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin Action Plan.
Subject to the Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin Action Plan evaluation, $25m will be made available to deliver phase one of the action plan.
South Australian Environment and Water Minister David Speirs said this was great news for the Coorong, South Australia and the entire Murray-Darling Basin.
“The finalised action plan will detail the management, research and infrastructure activities to be carried out to get the Coorong back on track for the future,” he said.
Federal Agriculture and Water Resources Minister David Littleproud said the Commonwealth was working with the Marshall Government to get the Coorong back on track.
