What is the Murray Darling Plan?

THE MURRAY DARLING BASIN PLAN:

THE BASIN

* Takes in 23 rivers

* Almost four million people rely on the water

* Supports more than 30,000 wetlands

* Stretches over South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland

THE PLAN

* The Murray Darling Basin Plan determines the amount of water that can be taken from the basin for urban, industrial and agricultural use

WHO USES THE WATER

* Farmers

* Non-agricultural industry

* The rest (about 58 per cent) is left in the environment

HOW?

* Farmers and irrigators have licences, allocating them certain amounts of water from the Basin

* Water meters along the basin regulate how much water each farmer is using

HOW DOES WATER THEFT WORK?

* Irrigators or farmers will tamper with water meters to access more than their allocated share of water.

* Penalties for water theft in NSW include prison and fines up to $2.2 million