Australia Yearbook - 2001

592 Year Book Australia 2001
As Australia’s population increased, not only in
the Murray region but nationwide, so did the
number of dams. Graph 14.20 shows the growth
in the number of dams greater than 100
Gigalitres from 1910 to 1994. In 1939 there were
10 large dams of over 100 gigalitres, which
increased substantially to 90 large dams by 1994
(ANCOLD 1990).
Together with increases in the number of large
dams throughout Australia in the last century
there were continual and substantial increases
in water diversions (MDBC 1995). For example,
in the Murray–Darling Basin annual diversions
continually increased from 1920 to 1994 (graph
14.21). The basin has grown to support 42% of
Australia’s farm land, which includes 90% of
Australia’s irrigated crops (MDBC 2000).
14.20 NUMBER OF DAMS WITH CAPACITY GREATER THAN
100 GIGALITRES, Australia—1914–1994
no.
100
80
60
40
20
0
1914 1924 1934 1944 1954 1964 1974 1984 1994
Source: Australian National Committee on Large Dams 1990 and 1996.
14.21 GROWTH IN DIVERSIONS IN THE MURRAY–DARLING BASIN—1920 to 1994
GL
12500
Total
NSW
Victoria
S.A.
Queensland
10000
7500
5000
2500
0
1920 1927 1934 1942 1949 1957 1964 1971 1979 1986 1994
Source: MDBC 1995.
Water consumption in Australia
From the recent Water Account for Australia,
there was an overall increase in net water
consumption from 18,575 GL in 1993–94 to
22,186 GL in 1996–97 (graph 14.22). Most of the
increase in net water consumption occurred in
the Agriculture sector, which increased
consumption by 3,434 GL to 15,502 GL, or 70% of
the total net water consumption of 22,186 GL in
1996–97. Within the Agriculture sector, the
largest increase in net water consumption
occurred in the pasture industry, which includes
livestock, pasture, grains (excluding rice) and
other agriculture (graph 14.23). Other notable
increases in net water consumption occurred in
the rice and cotton industries.