We've turned our rivers into drains, taking our sewage effluent, industrial waste, and pollution-laden runoff from irrigation canals, intensive farms, roads and gardens. At the end of most rivers and streams is an estuary, a naturally highly productive interchange zone between freshwater and marine ecosystems, that invariably supports economic activities like commercial fishing, tourism and recreation. Almost without exception, a healthy and productive estuary means a healthy river feeds into it. But the reverse is also true. The challenge of turning back the tide of degradation in our rivers is a daunting one in more ways than one.
Rivers are a political battleground, and the biggest battle of all is over water itself.
In the Murray Darling, the battle to return water to what is a highly flow-stressed river system is proving very difficult indeed. After all, water means money and livelihoods to the irrigation community. Many farmers, for example, do not yet understand that the clearing and grazing of stream and river frontages is deleterious to rivers. And in towns and cities, people water their lawns, hose their driveways, take long showers, throw litter into streets and drains, and use far too many garden chemicals without even thinking about the impacts on waterways. Getting people to understand how rivers work, and why they are so important, is the most important task of all.