Australia balancing water priorities

ADELAIDE, Australia, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Australian officials are struggling with allocation of water from the Murray-Darling river system as the country endures one of its worst droughts ever.

In a report released Tuesday, Water Minister Penny Wong said using water from the system to keep two lakes near Adelaide from becoming acidic could lead to the destruction of millions of dollars in crops, The Australian reported. As an alternative, Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert may be flooded with seawater, turning them into brackish estuaries.

The lakes are at the mouth of the Murray, the outflow for Australia's largest river system. The Murray-Darling system drains most of southeastern Australia.

The Murray-Darling River Commission describes the drought as the fifth worst since Australia began keeping records and the situation in the lower part of the basin as the worst ever.

"We're continuing to establish new records that we don't particularly wish to establish," said Chief Executive Wendy Craik said. "There's really no relief in sight. I think we can say the drought's continuing to worsen."

With Australia entering the dry summer season, the commission also has to plan for the water needs of Adelaide and other cities.