AWMA is currently delivering a suite of intake screen solutions for pump offtakes. The modern fish-protection screens are a key component of the Northern Basin Toolkit (NBTK) Program.
This Commonwealth initiative is focused on enhancing the ecological health of the northern Murray-Darling Basin. In NSW, this Australian-designed and locally-manufactured technology is being installed on 28 pumps across 10 pumped water diversions along 1,200 km of rivers, from Moree to Wilcannia, providing 2,514 megalitres of cleaner water daily to support 5,600 hectares of irrigated agriculture.
The NBTK screening program will protect approximately 39.6 million native fish over 50 years, generating $2 billion in public benefits through improved fish populations. It is also supporting an estimated 80 full-time jobs in regional manufacturing and installation, boosting regional economies. Installations began in mid-2024 and will continue through the winter of 2025, to support the long-term ecological health and sustainability of the Murray-Darling Basin.
AWMA worked closely with asset owners and project partners to overcome a range of challenges. These include retrofitting screens to existing sites with varied riverbank conditions, while ensuring installations were safe, viable, efficient, and environmentally responsible.
AWMA screening systems are fully compliant with NSW Specifications for Screen Design, provide benefits to farmers and fish. Cleaner water reduces pump maintenance, labour, and energy consumption, delivering cost savings to farmers and lowering CO2 emissions.
AWMA’s self-cleaning intake screens represent best-practice for industries that rely on access to water to support their long term sustainability and profitability.
For more information visit www.fishscreens.org.au
