The South Australian government is set to recommence dredging at the Murray Mouth.

Dredging will occur for the first time since the extensive floods of 2022–23 as part of a $30 million project, financed by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

The scheme aims to address the historical challenge of insufficient natural flows from the Murray River.

For two decades, the state has consistently dredged the mouth to maintain the health of the Lower Lakes and Coorong, a practice supported by ecologists. 

Maritime Constructions, contracted by SA Water for the $30 million initiative, will manually remove accumulated sand to ensure unimpeded river-to-ocean passage during low natural flows.

Ecologist and University of Adelaide adjunct associate professor David Paton says dredging is a preventative measure to aid fish movement and prevents localised flooding. 

The dredging initiative coincides with the federal government's agreement with the Greens on the Murray-Darling Basin plan. 

This agreement could potentially allocate over 700 gigalitres of farming water to the environment through buybacks. 

South Australian Minister for Climate, Environment, and Water, Susan Close, views dredging as a medium-term solution to enhance basin health. 

She has expressed hope that successful implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin plan would lead to periods where dredging is unnecessary.