The Murray-Darling Basin Plan has proposed a 2750 gigalitre Sustainable Diversion Limit (SDL), which is not so different to the 3000 gigalitres they were proposing in October last year.

The Australian Dairy industry Council has warned the water recovery targets outlined in the Plan will mean a permanent drought for farmers and towns and notes that Northern Victoria will be hardest hit. The MDBA describe the determination of the SDL as making a "judgement".

"Judgements have been made about how much water the Basin and its catchment needs to be healthy in the long term", it said in the report (Pg20).

Many had hoped for strong science to be the basis of decisions, or a description of the criteria used to make these "judgements"; unfortunately, this did not occur.

The MDBA has slightly altered its approach when determining the SDL, but there is little difference to the overall outcome.

They have separated the northern and southern parts of the Basin. The table to the left sets out each catchments area included in the north and south of the Basin.

The MDBA have also outlined a 'local reduction' SDL that each catchment has to contribute as well as a 'shared reduction'. The shared reduction will see the Northern Basin have to contribute 390GL to downstream needs, while the Southern Basin will have to contribute 971GL to downstream needs.

This change has resulted in the northern part of the Basin having to contribute 240GL less than was originally mooted in October last year. Meanwhile, the southern system will contribute 10GL less than first proposed in October last year. (See table above right).

Reductions have also been posed for groundwater; however more detailed analysis is required as a number of groundwater boundaries posed by the MDBA are different to the groundwater boundaries operating in some states.

The draft plan states the Government has already recovered 1068GL, leaving a gap of 1682GL.

The MDBA is proposing that no more than half this gap (840GL) will be met by 2015, at which point a review will consider whether environmental objectives are being met.

If the review deems less water needs to be recovered, the MDBA will recommend to the Government to change the SDL before it comes into effect in 2019.

However, there is a large risk with a high number such as 2750GL being written into legislation, changes will be hard to make. We must not forget the Basin Plan is a legislative instrument.

As such, it is a binding, legally enforceable document. It is also subject to Parliamentary scrutiny and – potentially – partial or complete disallowance from either House of Parliament.

Additional water for the environment will be secured through the purchase of entitlements and infrastructure improvements. Minister Tony Burke has announced that water buyback tenders will not operate in 2011 and 2012 in the southern part of the Basin.

There are a number of physical constraints in Basin Rivers, which will restrict environmental water being delivered where and when it is required. Physical constraints exist in all major river systems, including the Murray, Darling, Murrumbidgee and Goulburn.

The river channel capacity has a major bearing on river operations and operational planning to deliver the requirements of entitlement holders.

Transfers from Dartmouth to Hume are limited to a maximum capacity of 10,000ML/day.

This means that releases must be made months in advance to prevent Hume from emptying.

Further, it is not possible to transfer water through the Barmah 'choke' at rates greater than 8,500ML/day without spilling into the Barmah-Millewa

Forest.

Whilst the spring flooding of the forest is an environmental objective, the summer flooding of the forest is highly undesirable.

It remains unclear how the MDBA's targets for environmental water will actually be delivered without flooding private property.

The MDBA is holding a number of public meetings prior to Christmas to explain the draft plan and will schedule further meetings in early 2012.

Visit the MDBA's website (www.mdba.gov.au) for dates and locations. The MDBA is also seeking feedback on its draft plan and will accept submissions until April 16 2012.

The Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) released its draft Basin Plan on November 28 – it was presented in 228 pages of draft legislation and a 138 page plain English document. It had been released for two days at the time of writing this article. Therefore, this article is a cursory overview of the draft plan and implications for the dairy industry.

Natalie Akers is a dairy farmer in Tallygaroopna (Northern Victoria) as well as the dairy representative on the Victorian Government's Basin Plan Advisory Group.