This webinar will discuss creating new sources of fresh water for the Murray Darling Basin to address the long-term decline in water flows due to climate change. As water availability decreases and demand increases, tensions between community, industry, and environmental needs are intensifying. The concept of "New Water" will be introduced, referring to sources like wastewater, saline groundwater, and desalinated water that could support communities and industries while maintaining environmental health. Charles Sturt University is developing a "New Water Hub" to bring together stakeholders to identify and develop solutions for integrating new water sources into the Murray Darling Basin.

1. NEW WATER
WEBINAR ABOUT CREATING NEW FRESH SOURCES OF
WATER FOR THE MURRAY DARLING BASIN

2.
THE CHALLENGE
The Wicked Dilemma Facing Government, Industry, and the Community
The management of water in the Murray
Darling Basin (MDB) has created a wicked
dilemma for Government, Industry and the
Community.
The current approach aims to manage the
competing needs of the community,
industry, and the environment. However the
long term outlook suggests that water flows
into the MDB will continue to decline due to
the long term trends associated with climate
change.
This long term trend creates an environment
where we are trying to manage a declining
resource whilst at the same time demand for
this resource continues to rise due to
population growth and increasing demand
for agricultural products.
As the amount of water in the MDB declines
the tensions between the needs of the
community, industry, and the environment
will only intensify creating this wicked
dilemma.
In order to resolve this dilemma, new water
sources will be required to support the
communities and industries that rely on the
MDB whilst also maintaining the overall
environmental health of the system.
This webinar will introduce the concept of
“New Water” developed by Charles Sturt
University (CSU) in collaboration with
Sustainability Advantage.
“New Water” is sources of available water
that currently do not enter the MDB through
natural processes. These sources can
include waste water from industrial
processes, saline groundwater, waste water
from population centres (including major
cities like Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne,
Adelaide), and water from desalination
plants.
CSU is developing a “New Water Hub” which
aims to bring together leaders from a wide
range of leading stakeholders representing
community, industry, and the environment
to identify and develop solutions for the
integration of new water sources to support
the MDB.
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