Murray Darling Basin In Crisis

ALBURY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 23: The dry bed of the Hume Weir is seen on February 23, 2007 in Albury, Australia. The Hume Weir is the largest dam on the River Murray and is currently at two percent capacity, the lowest level ever for the weir. When full the weir has a capacity of 3,038 Gigalitres and was built to manage water for irrigation in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. The Hume Reservoir covers a total of 1,538,000 hectares. Reports suggest that inflow to the Murray-Darling Basin is at an all time low, now 60 percent lower than the previous minimum. Located in the south-east of Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin covers 1,061,469 square kilometres, comprising about 14 per cent of the continental landmass. Some seventy percent of the river's water is used for irrigation. In the midst of the worst drought on record, the federal government, along with, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and South Australia are examining ways to secure water supplies and to adjust the operations of their river systems to maximize flexibility and minimize losses from the system. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)