Comment on sustainable salinity management in ‘the three-infrastructures framework and water risks in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia’ by Williams et al. (2022)

ABSTRACT

In their recent paper, Williams et al. (2022) evaluated salinity management in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) as ‘unsustainable’, and a risk to water availability and quality in the Basin. However, this evaluation was weakened first by a failure to analyse the Basin salinity strategies of the last thirty-five years, noting that these have led to Basin salinity target being met since 2010; and second to not providing Basin-specific data to support their evaluation. Contrary to Williams et al. comments, existing evidence indicates that infrastructure intended to improve water use efficiency (e.g. salt leaching, salt disposal basins) will generally reduce stream salinity. The requirement for a leaching efficiency means that there is a lower limit to water use efficiency improvements, but this is unlikely itself to be a major risk. We agree that the changes that have occurred over the last twenty years would warrant a review of salt storage options in the MDB that better matches future needs.

KEYWORDS:

• Murray Basin
• salinity
• salt disposal
• stream salinity
• saline ecosystems

Acknowledgements

The authors would like thank Asitha Katupitiya, Acting General Manager, Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism, River Management Portfolio, Murray–Darling Basin Authority, Canberra for his comments on earlier draft of the manuscript. We would also like to thank the reviewers for constructive comments that have improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors are not aware of any conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work received no funding.

Notes on contributors

Glen Walker

Glen Walker has over 30 years research experience with CSIRO in groundwater and salinity before forming Grounded in Water. Glen has been awarded the WE Woods Award for salinity research; and has been a member of the Independent Audit Group-Salinity for the MDBA; the Independent Expert Scientific Committee Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Developments and a member of the University of Melbourne Expert panel on irrigation return flows.

Barry Hart

Barry Hart is an Emeritus Professor at Monash University and previously was Director of the Monash University Water Studies Centre. He is currently Chair of Alluvium Holdings and Alluvium Consulting Australia, and a board member of EcoFutures. Barry was a member of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority Board for 9 years (2009-2018) and, amongst many other past appointments, has had leadership roles on the Commonwealth Environmental Water Scientific Advisory Panel, the Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Partnership Science Advisory Panel and the Gippsland Lakes and Catchment Task Force. In 2003, Barry received a Centenary Medal for services to water quality management and environmental protection. He was also made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in June 2012.