Information on the murray darling basin
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Information on the murray darling basin

[From: ] [author: ] [Date: 13-08-11] [Hit: ]
and is one of the most significant agricultural areas in Australia. It spans most of the states of New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory, and parts of the states of Queensland (lower third) and South Australia (south-east corner). It is 3,......
anyone have a summary of the murray darling basin??
thanks

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The Murray–Darling Basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, whose name is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River. It drains around one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is one of the most significant agricultural areas in Australia. It spans most of the states of New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory, and parts of the states of Queensland (lower third) and South Australia (south-east corner). It is 3,375 kilometres (2,097 mi) in length (the Murray River is 2,530 km (1,570 mi) long).

Most of the 1,061,469 km2 (409,835 sq mi) basin is flat, low-lying and far inland, and receives little direct rainfall. The many rivers it contains tend to be long and slow-flowing, and carry a volume of water that is large only by Australian standards.
The Murray Darling Basin is home for many native animal species. The true numbers are not known, but a fairly confident estimate has been made of these animals and the current status of their population. Among the aboriginal fauna in the region, the study found[citation needed] that there were:

80 species of mammals, with 20 extinct and 16 endangered.
53 species of frogs, with none endangered.
46 species of snakes, with 5 endangered.
5 species of tortoises, with none endangered
34 species of fish, with up to half either threatened or of conservation significance.[2]

The basin covers five states and territory governments, who according to the Constitution, are responsible for managing water resources. The River Murray Commission was established in 1917. Under the River Murray Waters Agreement, which never included Queensland despite the state containing about a quarter of the basin, the Commission's role was only as an advisory body with no authority for the enforcement of provisions. For a long time the Commission was only concerned with water quantity until salinity became a problem. This led to minor reforms in 1982 in which water quality became part of the Commission's responsibilities.However, it was soon recognised that a new organisational structure which considered the national perspective was needed for effective management.
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