Gold benchmark set for water irrigation

An irrigation trust in South Australia has become the first agricultural area in the world to achieve gold level accreditation by a leading international water management standard.

The Renmark Irrigation Trust received gold certification against the Alliance for Water Stewardship Asia-Pacific (AWS) Standard.

​Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Anne Ruston, praised the trust for its certification, proving that communities can take the lead in building and demonstrating their commitment to a sustainable Murray-Darling Basin.

“This is a particularly important development in Australia’s water management efforts because the Renmark Irrigation Trust is the first area in the world to be certified against the Alliance for Water Stewardship Asia-Pacific (AWS) Standard,” Ms Ruston said.

“It represents a significant step toward a ten year mission for the Trust to be recognised as Australia’s leading water resource manager underpinning the economic, environmental and social sustainability of the Renmark community.

“The Coalition Government welcomes this recognition, and believes in its significant potential for future collaborative water management in the Murray-Darling and beyond.

“It is also a great opportunity for other regions and irrigation network operators to follow the lead of the Renmark Irrigation Trust and empower them to meet the requirements of the AWS International Standard.”

Founded in 1893, the Renmark Irrigation Trust is a community owned irrigation service provider supplying irrigation water pumped from the Murray River.

Since 1972 water has been delivered through fully piped infrastructure to over 600 properties producing various crops on over 4500 Hectares of horticultural land. It has been largely instrumental in the growth of the Renmark district.

“The Renmark Irrigation Trust is a prime example of the sort of collaboration the government fully supports in trying to achieve the core objectives of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan,” Ms Ruston said.

“Importantly, it also demonstrates the success of the Commonwealth and states working in partnership with the private sector to improve water management at the local level.

“The Riverland has set a global benchmark.”

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