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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Article
Author(s)
Kenneth Ray Olson1 and Sergey S. Chernyanskii2
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DOI:10.17265/2162-5263/2025.04.001
Affiliation(s)
1. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801, USA
2. EnviSoilCons Pr.,Inđija22320, Serbia
ABSTRACT
The Murray-Darling Basin, is of
immense economic significance, lying across the great wheat-sheep belt in its
climatically most reliable section. The Murray-Darling Basin occupies about
one-seventh of Australia’s area. During the second half of the 19th century,
river shipping was of great importance. With growing demand for irrigation
water and competition from railways, navigation practically ceased. The basin
has by far Australia’s greatest area of irrigated pastures and crops, some 1.5
million hectares, more than 70 percent of the national total. It is the country’s second largest wine-producing region; other major
products include grains, cattle, fruit, and sheep. The River Murray Weirs were constructed 100
years ago for riverboat navigation and to supply water to inland communities.
But the weirs have also degraded wetlands, salinized floodplains, and
devastated fish populations. Historical
lessons learned from other great rivers of North America can also be applied
to the Murray River watershed in Australia which is experiencing lower water
levels, salinization, and reduced navigation options The primary objectives of this research are to document the history of
the Murray River which became Australia’s interior pathway for settlement,
navigation, and trade and encourage the creation of a Comprehensive Plan
for Sustainable Development of the Murray-Darling Basin to Mitigate the
Environmental Impacts. Irrigation, however, led to serious salinity problems, and according to WHO (World Health Organization) criteria, was unfit for drinking. The problem of Murray
salinity has been recognized as of national significance to Australia.
KEYWORDS
Murray River, Murray-Darling Basin, Murray Delta.
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