South East Drainage System
The South East region of South Australia is a highly modified landscape, extending over an area of approximately 28,000 square kilometres. Broad-scale land clearing and an extensive drainage network have converted what was once a wetland dominated landscape into land suited for agricultural production.
There is a long history of drainage in the South East with the first drains in the lower South East coming into operation in 1863. The majority of drains were built between 1949 and 1972.
The lower South East drainage system was originally developed to overcome waterlogging in order to maintain the region’s productivity. More recently, the lower South East drainage system is also being managed to enhance and develop natural wetlands in the region.
The lower South East drainage network comprises: 1875km of drainage infrastructure, More than 1800 structures including road bridges, culverts, inlets, sea outlet structures and regulators.