Australia is a country of high inter-annual rainfall variability. Consequently, water security is critical to both settlements and agriculture, particularly in eastern Australia where the majority of the population reside. Dams have historically been the primary means of storing water, however recently their significant environmental impacts have become increasingly recognised. The Murray-Darling Basin is one of Australia's most significant agricultural areas, and has been severely affected by the construction of major dams and water storages on its waterways. The resulting reductions in environmental flows have seriously degraded the ecological condition of its rivers, prompting the development of the Basin Plan in 2012.

Expanded development of off-channel storages, with accompanying evaporation mitigation, should be prioritised to secure water for Australia's environment, agriculture and population. This would directly mitigate environmental degradation due to large dams, together with the threat of future water shortages due to climate change. 

This study explored several alternative solutions for achieving the Basin Plan's yearly recovery target of 2,750 GL, including the construction of off-channel storage dams, evaporation mitigation and methods of supplementing water from catchments east of the Great Dividing Range. After considering the renewable energy requirements, it was concluded that there is sufficient available runoff and energy to divert flood flows from eastern catchments to the west. However, evaporation mitigation of farm dams in the Murray-Darling Basin will significantly mitigate the recovery target at low cost. Great investment in the construction of large off-channel storages with evaporation mitigation would enable the entire target to be achieved.