Federal Agriculture minister David Littleproud has announced a successful satellite tracking trial of Murray-Darling Basin environmental water flows.
Subscribe now for unlimited access to all our agricultural news
across the nation
or signup to continue reading
The trial, in the Northern Basin, found satellite images and gauge monitors on the ground were an effective extra tool against water theft.
“We’re using advanced technology to make sure water users are doing the right thing,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Active compliance is one thing which will give Australians confidence in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
The MDBA used satellite images, provided at no cost by Geoscience Australia, to track flows in the Barwon and Darling River systems during a release of environmental water into northern rivers.
The pictures could detect water in irrigation channels and on-farm storages and changes to crops.
The project found no significant changes to farm dam or water storages or any sudden or unexpected changes to the flow, indicating compliance issues were unlikely.
