Lower Lakes: Water Buybacks Are No Solution
Dry, dryer, Murray-Darling Basin: Australia’s biggest river system is dying from the bottom up. When visiting the Lower Lakes in South Australia as part of a Coalition delegation in early August, Judith gained an insiders perspective on the problems.
Jamie Briggs, newly elected Member for Mayo, Senator Mary Jo Fisher, Dr Brendan Nelson, former Leader of the Opposition, Patrick Secker, Member for Barker, and Senator Judith Adams (from left) took a close look at a dead turtle.
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Various species are endangered because the basin is so dry that the freshwater lakes are turning acidic. “This threatens the income of fishermen, winemakers, olive growers and dairy farmers”, Judith said.
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To save the river-system there are currently two options being debated: either sending more freshwater downstream, or letting in the seawater, which would significantly change the lakes’ ecology.
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"Sending freshwater downstream sounds easy, but it is not”, Judith said. She referred to a recent report, saying that due to evaporation only as little as 20 per cent of any water released in the north would reach the Lower Lakes.
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