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Floodplains | 
| What are floodplains?
A floodplain is the area of relatively flat land either side of a stream covered by water during a major flood. It contains layers of sediments deposited by the River during floods.
What is the difference between floodplains and wetlands?
Wetlands are permanently or temporarily covered by water, whereas floodplains are only covered with water during floods.
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Why are floodplains important?
Floodplains play an important role in removing vast quantities of pollutants from inland river waters.
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Why are floodplains threatened?
For the past 150 years floodplains along the River Murray have been developed for agricultural, recreational and industrial purposes, thus dividing them from the River system. River Murray floodplains are now covered with water only once in 10 or 12 years compared to every 3 or 4 years out of 5 a century ago. This change has brought about a decline in flora and fauna species previously thriving on the floodplain.
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What is being done? <...Back to Top...> Information Information sheets
Murray Darling Association
Floodplains, a Murray Mysteries information sheet, 1998
Book
Living on Floodplains, The Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology and the MDBC, 1997
Websites
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