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Overland flow refers to water that runs across the land after rainfall, flooding, or after it rises to the surface naturally from underground. Capturing this water on a floodplain is referred to as overland flow development or floodplain harvesting.

Australia has a variable climate – it is a country of droughts and flooding rain. This means that water management needs to be adaptable.

Hydrological conditions often differ each year and across regions of the Basin. Planning for dry conditions is a major challenge for river operators, water resource managers and the community.

When parts of the Murray–Darling Basin are in drought it affects the whole river system, including plants and animals, the communities of the Basin, and farming and food production.

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority met on 28 and 29 July 2021. All members were present, and the meeting was chaired by Sir Angus Houston.

The prolonged drought across the Basin means in the next 12 months environmental water will be used strategically to protect our wetlands, floodplains and river ecosystems from further damage, and place them in the best possible position to recover from the drought when it breaks, according to the latest Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) report.

As COVID-19 challenges our way of working and communicating, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority remains committed to serving Basin communities and the nation with as little disruption as possible in the coming weeks and months. Implementing the Basin Plan and managing the River Murray on behalf of Basin governments continues to be our priority.

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority held its first meeting for 2020 in Canberra on 11-12 February. In the wake of devastating fires, drought and flooding the Authority acknowledged the hardship many communities have experienced this summer and the difficult road to recovery ahead.

The New South Wales Government and the Australian Government requested the Murray–Darling Basin Authority to undertake a review of Nimmie-Caira’s estimated contribution to the water recovery target.