What is water saving?
It is recognised that there is no “new water” to be created in the Murrumbidgee River system. All water is currently going to an end use, whether intended or not. Part of the project investigations will involve identifying where water “losses” are going, and in which of these areas can an intervention create a “saving”. Some examples of water savings include reducing evaporative losses, reducing seepage and leakage to saline aquifers, and reducing unauthorized use and theft. There are also examples where water losses are contributing to environmental damage, for example permanently flooding wetlands. In these cases, a more suitable wetting and drying regime can create both water savings and positive local environmental outcomes.
