Over the summer months - 2006-2007- South Australia has faced a crisis in water availability, reduction of water allocations for irrigators and potential construction of a Weir at Wellington.  Lack of water in Murray Darling Basin caused by an 8 year headwaters shortage and recent low snow falls in Great Dividing Range have reduced the amount of water in dams and river systems.

The River Murray has been the life source of the Murraylands, enabling irrigators to build multi-million dollar horticulture and fruit and wine growing economies. Urban and industrial developments in Adelaide and as far a-field as Whyalla and Yorke Peninsula have expanded through construction of Murray water pipelines. River towns along the length of the rivers depend upon the river water supply. Exacerbated by drought the Murraylands is now faced with limited water allocations for irrigators and potential construction of a Weir at Wellington.

Water use and re-use has emerged as a critical strategy for addressing these issues. Quantities of water used on a daily basis in the Rural City of Murray Bridge area – some from the Rural City itself and from the industrial site of T&R Pastoral and Big River Pork present opportunities for water re-use with compatible industries such as horticulture. Strategies for investment in water use and re-use might include:

OPPORTUNITIES

• Investment in desalination plant around the Lower Lakes if the Wellington Weir is constructed to provide an alternative water supply.
• Processing of resulting quantities of salt could provide an additional economic prospect for existing salt producers.
• Water from T&R Pastoral has the potential for treatment and re-use in further factory processes and in horticulture. In Israel water is re-used many times in a climate which has many similarities to South Australia.
• Bedford Project developed in co-operation between Flinders University and the Murraylands Regional Development Board has potential to take highly saline underground water through solar processes providing environments for aquaculture with fish, edible algae, potable water and solar power as end products.
• Government support for domestic rainwater tanks has injected potential for construction of water tanks. This market will increase with expansion in the domestic housing sector with resulting opportunities in construction, installation industries and regional manufacturing.
• Rural City of Murray Bridge and SA Water sewer upgrade.
• Grey water re-use for parks and reserves at Murray Bridge.