Murray Darling Basin In Crisis

WENTWORTH, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 21: EDITORS NOTE: A POLARIZING FILTER WAS USED IN THE CREATION OF THIS DIGITAL IMAGE A view of the Murray River, as reports suggest that inflow to the Murray-Darling Basin are at an all time low, now 60 percent lower than the previous minimum, on February 21, 2007 in Wentworth, Australia. Located in the south-east of Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin covers 1,061,469 square kilometres, comprising about 14 per cent of the continental landmass. Some seventy percent of the river's water is used for irrigation. In the midst of the worst drought on record, the federal government, along with, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland and South Australia are examining ways to secure water supplies and to adjust the operations of their river systems to maximize flexibility and minimize losses from the system. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)