The Burdekin River accounted for in the National Water Account Queensland's Burdekin River region will be the tenth nationally-significant water management region to be added to the National Water Account. With the inclusion of the region, the account now covers 70–80% of water use in Australia. The Burdekin River region earns its place in the account as one of Australia's largest rivers supporting agriculture and industry and a large source of sediment and fresh water to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. The lower Burdekin River area, at approximately 800 square kilometres, is the largest irrigated area in northern Australia and one of Australia's most important sugar-producing regions. Burdekin Falls Dam is the largest in Queensland and was built to provide water for irrigated agriculture and possible hydroelectric generation. The account describes water stores and flows, water rights and water use, and volumes of water traded, extracted and managed. The account informs policy, planning and decision-making by governments and industry. Read the Pilot Burdekin River report or find out more about the National Water Account on the Bureau of Meteorology's website. Image: Courtesy of CSIRO (Burdekin spillway). |