Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism

The Murray Darling Basin Plan was developed to improve and maintain healthy rivers and floodplains, while supporting sustainable agriculture, industries and communities. The Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism (SDLAM) is a program designed to achieve similar or improved environmental outcomes for rivers, wetlands and wildlife using less water as part of the Murray Darling Basin Plan. SDLAM can be achieved through supply (improvements to the way rivers are managed), constraints or efficiency measures (changes to water use practices).

The NSW Government brought forward $330 million worth of five SDLAM projects through the SDLAM Acceleration Program. The projects have many benefits for native fish including:

• improved fish passage that will allow greater connectivity to habitat and breeding areas
• promoting fish growth and dispersal
• improved water quality
• increased habitat through reinstated wetting and drying of creeks, wetlands and floodplains
• improved supply of floodplain carbon to river food webs.

The five projects include:

• Lower Murray:  Locks 8 & 9 Project – Restoring and enhancing the river habitat across the interconnected Frenchmans Creek and Carrs, Capitts and Bunberoo systems.
• Yanco Creek Modernisation Project – Modernising infrastructure to enable smarter use of water in the Yanco Creek (note this differs from the Yanco Creek Offtake Project which is no longer progressing).
• Koondrook-Perricoota Forest Project – Mitigating third party impacts of water releases on landholders adjacent to the forest.
• Mid-Murray Anabranches Project – Improving connectivity between the Murray River, its main anabranch, the Edward-Kolety River system and other surrounding creeks.
• Murrumbidgee and Murray National Park Project – Improving the delivery of environmental water in the Yanga and Murray (Millewa) National Parks.

More information on the SDLAM program can be found at DPIE Water's website.