Healthy HeadWaters Program
Healthy HeadWaters in the Murray−Darling Basin
The Queensland Government is working with the Australian and other governments to secure a sustainable future for the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB).
The Australian Government has agreed in principle to fund priority water projects in Murray–Darling Basin states, as part of its Water for the Future initiative. The Queensland projects are collectively known as the Healthy HeadWaters Program.
Healthy HeadWaters Program goals
The Queensland Government’s Healthy HeadWaters Program aims to:
- help Queensland’s Murray-Darling Basin (QMDB) irrigation communities deal with climate change and reduced consumptive water availability
- help QMBD irrigation communities maintain their water dependent economic vibrancy
- ensure the long-term viability of ecological assets by making more water available for the environment.
Healthy HeadWaters Water Use Efficiency Project
A major element of the Healthy HeadWaters Program is a water use efficiency project.
The project will:
- help farmers invest in more efficient irrigation systems and technologies that reduce water loss
- deliver long-term socio-economic benefits
- return a share of water savings to the basin’s rivers, wetlands and floodplains.
Irrigators may receive reimbursement of up to 80 per cent of the cost of the water-saving infrastructure or works, if they choose to permanently transfer part of the water savings to the Australian Government in the form of entitlements.
The Coal Seam Gas Water Feasibility Study
Another project will examine the feasibility of using coal seam gas water in addressing water sustainability and adjustment issues in the Queensland Murray–Darling Basin.
The $5 million Coal Seam Gas Water Feasibility Study will analyse the opportunities for, and the risks and practicability of, using coal seam gas water to assist in achieving the long-term goals of transitioning irrigation communities to lower water use and securing viability of ecological assets.
Last updated 7 March 2011