PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER

The Northern Basin Toolkit (NBTK) is a $180m Commonwealth investment in the ecological health of the northern Murray-Darling Basin.

$20m has been dedicated to Installation of modern fish-protection screens on irrigation pumps in NSW (and Qld) – just one of the actions under the Toolkit.

$16.7m (80%) of funding has been dedicated to on-ground works. This will support around 80 full-time jobs in regional manufacturing and installation businesses.

The goal is to protect 39.6 million native fish and generate $2b of public benefits through improvements to native fish populations over 50 years.

A NEW BEST PRACTICE FOR FARMERS

Irrigated agriculture across the NSW northern Basin relies on sustainable access to water.

Modern screens are a new best practice for industries that use water. They reduce impacts on aquatic ecosystems, while effectively eliminating debris intake into pumps.

Cleaner water means less damage and blockages. This creates real and significant cost savings for farmers – reduced labour, repairs and energy consumption (less CO2 emissions).

These savings can be reallocated on farms. For example, water savings can be used to irrigate plantings of native trees, or staff can engage in work more productive than unblocking sprinklers.

 

INSTALLATIONS UNDERWAY!

In NSW, modern fish-protection screens are being installed on pumping sites across 1,200km of rivers from Moree to Wilcannia.

Screens will be installed on 28 pumps across 10 diversions, from Moree to Wilcannia, to deliver 2,514 megalitres of cleaner water daily to service 5,600 ha of irrigated agriculture.

These screens will protect ~791,000 native fish and produce public economic benefits worth millions of dollars, every year, for 50 years.

All the screens for the program are being manufactured in Australia by AWMA. Installations began in mid-2024 and will continue in the winter months of 2025.