Murray lakes

["Peter Waanders" <>]

Hi Steve
You raise some good points.
The river was a series of pools
during times of drought. Near where I live, at Waikerie, people were able to
walk across to the other side. This was in the early decades of the previous
century. SInce then a series of weirs have been constructed that hold water
levels stable, for navigation and irrigation supplies. THis means
floodwaters that traditionally made it to the Lower Lakes are kept behind.
Dams and weirs further upstream capture more of these floodwaters. Coupled
with over-extraction, and some low rainfall years more recently, there has
just not been enough water flowing down to the Lower Lakes.
The Murray
Mouth closed for the first time in recorded history in 1981 or 1982 and
then again in the late 1990s and has been closed permanently since 2000 were
it not for a $2M annual dredging program.
There may be a big cleanup
flood - we're all hoping for that - but with 1.5 m of evaporation each year,
the Lower Lakes will be dry before that happens.
cheers
PEter 
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