Fast Facts

1 Gigalitre (GL) = 1,000 Megalitres (ML) = 1,000,000 Kilolitres = 1 billion litres

During 2007-2008 Adelaide used 219 GL

Local Adelaide reservoirs when full hold a maximum of 198 GL

The new desal plant is planned to produce 100GL

Lower Lakes at +.75 AHD (full pool level) hold 2,200 GL

Lower Lakes evaporate between 750-950 GL per year

The total amount required to fill and maintain the Lakes

from their July 2008 levels to 0m AHD, for one year, is 1050‐1250 GL

Current active (useable water) in MDB storage the end of July 2009 is: 1,470 GL (17% of capacity)

Current active (useable water) in MDB storage the end of Oct 2009 is: 2,573 GL (30% of capacity)

Current active water in MDB storage as of 10 November 2009 is: 6,715 GL (78% of capacity)

How much fresh water is required for a healthy ecosystem in the Lower Lakes?

From this senate submission by the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, Sept 2008.

"The most recent science estimates that to have a moderate to high probability of having a

healthy southern connected river system in the Murray, will require between 1,630GL and

3,350GL of new environmental flows. If these estimates are extrapolated across the whole

of the Murray Darling Basin, we will need to recover between 2,116GL and 4,350GL of

additional environmental flows if we are to achieve our stated goals. If this is added to the

existing environmental flow component of available surface water the environmental flow

will be between 4,609GL and 6,843GL."

Lake Alexandrina is dropped by 4-5 centimetres to pump 27 GL to the Goolwa Channel Project

Links

Drought Update (November 2009) MDBA