Wellington Weir facts for kids

The Wellington Weir was a plan to build a special wall, called a weir, across the Murray River in South Australia. It would have been built near the town of Wellington, South Australia, just before the river flows into Lake Alexandrina.

Why Was the Wellington Weir Proposed?

In 2006, the government of South Australia, led by Premier Mike Rann, announced the idea for the Wellington Weir. They wanted to make sure the city of Adelaide had enough drinking water. The Premier even got the agreement of the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, for the project.

The weir was designed to do two main things:

• It would keep the water level high enough in the river upstream. This was important for the pumping station at Mannum, which needed deep water to work, especially during long dry periods.
• It would also reduce the amount of fresh water flowing into Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert. These lakes lose a lot of water each year through evaporation, about 1,000 gigalitres (which is a huge amount!).

Concerns About the Weir

Many people were worried about what the Wellington Weir would do to the environment and local communities.

Impact on the Environment

Opponents of the weir believed it would seriously harm the environment of the lakes and the Coorong. They were concerned that animals and plants already in danger of disappearing could become extinct.

The area around the lakes is protected by an international agreement called the Ramsar Convention. This agreement aims to protect important wetlands around the world. Building the weir could have gone against this agreement.

There were also fears about what would happen to the soil. The land around the lakes has special "acid sulphate soils." If these soils dry out, they can release toxic metals and acids, which would pollute the water.

Impact on People and Water Use

The Murray River already has many locks and weirs, like the Goolwa Barrages near the Murray Mouth. Lowering the water levels in the lakes would have greatly affected everyone who relied on them for their jobs. This included farmers in areas like the Langhorne Creek wine region, and fisherpeople in towns like Meningie and Clayton.

People also questioned why money was being spent on a weir when there were other ways to save water. For example, some suggested buying water rights from farmers who use a lot of water from the Murray River system to grow crops like cotton in Queensland.

Why the Weir Was Stopped

Local groups, like the River, Lakes and Coorong Action Group, were formed to protest against the weir. They pointed out that the water held back by the weir might become still and unhealthy. Winds usually help mix oxygen into the lake and river water, keeping it fresh.

The plan for the Wellington Weir was officially cancelled in 2009 by the South Australian government. This happened mainly because of strong community pressure and worries about the environmental damage it would cause. Also, a new plant was built at Port Stanvac to turn seawater into drinking water, which helped secure Adelaide's water supply.

Finally, heavy rains in late 2009 and early 2010 brought floods to the upper Darling River and Murray River. These floods ended the drought and made the weir project unnecessary.

An important event happened in April 2010. The local Aboriginal group, the Ngarrindjeri people, performed a special ceremony called the Murrundi Ruwe Pangari Ringbalin (River Country Spirit Ceremony). They had also visited the upper Darling River in December 2009, just before the drought-ending floods began.

Images for kids

• 

  A rally by 'Stop The Weir' protesters on the steps of Parliament House, Adelaide.