House of Assembly Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3) 51 3 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Answers to Questions Murray Mouth Weir MURRAY MOUTH WEIR Mr HAMILTON-SMITH House of Assembly Waite Leader of the Opposition MURRAY MOUTH WEIR 140 Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (30 September 2008). Has the government investigated whether it is feasible to build a weir at the Murray Mouth to allow the lakes to fill automatically and once full allow excess water to flow to the ocean? The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD House of Assembly Chaffey Minister for the River Murray Minister for Water Security MURRAY MOUTH WEIR The Hon. K.A. MAYWALD (Chaffey—Minister for the River Murray, Minister for Water Security): I am advised that the construction of a weir at the Murray Mouth is neither feasible nor desirable. A weir at the river mouth would lead to the loss of the vital Coorong estuarine ecosystem, and engineering investigations suggest that it would not be practical to maintain a structure such as a weir in the dynamic environment at the Murray Mouth. The existing barrages effectively provide the same suggested benefits of a weir at the river mouth but are in a more stable environment and allow the Coorong to benefit from both marine and freshwater influences.