Barmah Choke

A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, but would it mean the same thing? This is the thought I was left with when the MDBA announced the "Opening trade balance set for Barmah Narrows". Notice the subtle change in language? The "Barmah Choke", which is a natural constriction to water flow within the river channel, has formed part of the operating rules that irrigators had to abide by for longer than some of us have been alive.

The Barmah Narrows trade provision will start the 2026–27 water year with around 24 gigalitres (GL) available for downstream trade. A restriction on the trade of water downstream of The Narrows (previously referred to as the Barmah Choke) has been active since 2014 to protect water delivery to existing entitlement holders and to maintain the local river environment.

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) Executive Director of River Management Jacqui Hickey said water available to trade downstream of the Narrows (Barmah Choke) on 1 July 2025 would be about 39 gigalitres (GL), around 17 GL less than last season.

As the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) continue to change the rules in their favour, irrigation communities are proposing a dramatic change that aims to benefit food producers and Australia’s largest irrigator, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.

A renewed agreement between WaterNSW and Murray Irrigation Limited (MIL) will help to move water around the Barmah Choke for the 2024–25 water year. MDBA Senior Director River Modernisation Joe Davis said the arrangement with MIL would ensure water delivery to downstream users whilst protecting the river environment and community values.  

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority is moving ahead with detailed design work on a suite of options to improve the movement of water through the Barmah–Millewa Reach of the Murray River. Basin governments in February noted the results of the  Barmah–Millewa Feasibility Study  and committed $2.35 million to the next stage of investigation in what will be known as the Barmah–Millewa Program.

As the Albanese Government is trying to rush through its water recovery strategy before Christmas, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s sand slug has been very active. Like a mythical creature that lurks in the watery depths, the sand slug was the MDBA’s answer to why the natural constraint of the Barmah Choke had reduced in water delivery capacity ... A recent photo from grass roots community members continues to highlight the rapid rate of erosion at Davies Beach, Cobram.