Maps

Basin Plan Spatial Information

The Authority is committed to being open and transparent about the science behind the draft Basin Plan. The Authority has previously published the spatial data used for developing the draft Basin Plan in the form of Cartographic Mapping products. We have now made our intellectual property and Spatial Data holdings available under the Australian Government Open and Access Licensing (AusGOAL) Framework. It can be downloaded under the Creative Commons (CC_BY_ND).

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Murray-Darling Basin boundary

The Murray–Darling Basin is defined by the catchment areas of the Murray and Darling rivers and their many tributaries, together comprising 23 major river valleys. The Basin covers one-seventh of the Australian mainland, extending over 1 million km2 of south-eastern Australia, and including three-quarters of New South Wales, more than half of Victoria, significant portions of Queensland and South Australia, and all of the Australian Capital Territory. To the east and south, the highlands of the Great Dividing Range form the limits of the Basin, while in the north, west and south-west, the boundaries are much less distinct. The Murray–Darling Basin contains a wide range of climates and environments, including rainforests in the cool eastern uplands, temperate country in the south-east, sub-tropical areas in the north, and the hot, dry lands of the western plains. Most of the Basin is extensive plains and low undulating areas, generally lower than 200 metres above sea level.

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Water resource plan areas (WRPA) for surface water

A water resource plan sets out how water resources will be managed, usually for a 10-year period, within a water resource plan area, an area with defined boundaries, some geographical and some based on state borders. Some water resource plan areas are only for surface water, some are only for groundwater, and some cover both. Surface water is any water in a watercourse, lake or wetland, or flowing over or lying on the land after rain or having risen from underground (for example, at a spring). Surface water resources include the water itself, plus the plants, animals and other organisms and components that contribute to the physical state and environmental value of a water body.

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Water resource plan areas (WRPA) for groundwater

A water resource plan sets out how water resources will be managed, usually for a 10-year period, within a water resource plan area, an area with defined boundaries, some geographical and some based on state borders. Some water resource plan areas are only for surface water, some are only for groundwater, and some cover both. Groundwater is water located beneath the surface in spaces within soil, sand, gravel and rock formations. An occurrence of groundwater is called an aquifer when it contains a usable quantity of water. The depth at which these underground spaces become completely saturated with water is called the water table. Groundwater is fed by, and often returns to, surface water, forming an ongoing, interconnected cycle.

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Sustainable diversion limit (SDL) resource units for surface water

A sustainable diversion limit (SDL) resource unit describes a geographical area which encompasses a set of above-ground water resources. Boundaries of surface-water SDL resource units are generally based on river catchments and state borders. The surface-water SDL is the maximum long-term annual average quantity of water that can be taken on a sustainable basis from water resources in a surface-water SDL resource unit. Surface water is any water in a watercourse, lake or wetland, or flowing over or lying on the land after rain or having risen from underground (for example, at a spring). Surface water resources include the water itself, plus the plants, animals and other organisms and components that contribute to the physical state and environmental value of a water body.

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Sustainable diversion limit (SDL) resource units for groundwater (and deep groundwater)

A sustainable diversion limit (SDL) resource unit describes a geographical area which encompasses a set of underground water resources. Boundaries of groundwater SDL resource units are based on hydrogeology and state borders. The groundwater SDL is the maximum long-term annual average quantity of water that can be taken on a sustainable basis from aquifers in a groundwater SDL resource unit. Groundwater is water located beneath the surface in spaces within soil, sand, gravel and rock formations. An occurrence of groundwater is called an aquifer when it contains a usable quantity of water. The depth at which these underground spaces become completely saturated with water is called the water table. Groundwater is fed by, and often returns to, surface water, forming an ongoing, interconnected cycle.

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Water Quality zones

Schedule 9 to the proposed Basin Plan sets out water quality targets for declared Ramsar wetlands and other water-dependent ecosystems.
The target values in Schedule 9 apply to target application zones identified in the water quality zones map. These zones are based on the Sustainable Rivers Audit valleys (Davies et al. 2008).
Specific water quality targets may also apply to declared Ramsar wetlands, as published on the website of the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, at www.environment.gov.au