The Area

Last updated: 07/04/2009

The Healthy Waters project covers water resources which fall within the boundaries of the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board.

The Board’s area stretches from the Barossa Valley in the north to the tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula, and the western side of the Mount Lofty Ranges, covering nearly a million hectares of land as well as marine environments. Healthy Waters has identified specific water resources of primary interest to the project including surface water, groundwater in underground aquifers, and marine waters south of Christies Beach and around the coast to Encounter Bay.

The area is a complex landscape of mountain ranges, rolling hills and plains, rich farming land, bushland remnants, small townships, ephemeral streams, key rivers, reservoirs and associated drinking water catchments, valuable aquifers, significant wetlands, diverse estuarine and marine environments, and the city itself, situated on an area of extensive groundwater.

These environments are home to half of the State’s native plants and fish species and three quarters of its native birds. They support more than one million people, the majority of the State’s population, and underpin some of the State’s most productive primary industries, supplying local and international markets and contributing to the State’s economic and social wellbeing.

Water is vital to the region’s industries, to the healthy functioning of its wildlife and ecosystems, and as the primary source of drinking water for rural and metropolitan communities. The watercourses of the Mount Lofty Ranges Watershed supply water to ten reservoirs which contribute 60% of Adelaide’s water supply in an average year, and are used to transport River Murray water to reservoirs.

As well as its economic and environmental importance, the area’s water has profound social, cultural and spiritual value to many South Australians. Many Aboriginal sites are found in close proximity to coastlines, waterways, creeks and lakes. Rivers such as the Onkaparinga, Torrens and Gawler are intrinsically linked to the social development of the State and have cultural significance for many landholders and towns people. Marine environments are not only valuable in their own right, but are also enjoyed by a variety of recreational and commercial users.

View more information on the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management (NRM) Board’s Region

Check out more about water quality in your area: Northern Region, Central Region, Fleurieu Region, metropolitan Adelaide.