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A key issue identified by the research community working with the cotton industry was the lack of understanding and acceptance of the concept of deep drainage. The Northern Murray Darling – Water Balance Group (NMD – WBG) was conceived as a partnership of researchers and extension personnel to exchange ideas, create awareness and debate the issue of deep drainage in the Darling basin. The aims of this project were to achieve consensus and identify research gaps and opportunities to overcome these gaps. In the course of two years the members of the NMD – WBG held two major workshops, organised or attended 25 stakeholder meetings, gave a plethora of presentations to various groups, published papers, prepared extension materials and communicated with the wider public.

The key achievements of this project are: Broad agreement was achieved in the cotton industry about Deep Drainage as a management issue; key research gaps were identified; recommendations for research were formulated; initial projects were funded by CRDC/CRC, outcomes were communicated in papers, extension materials and the media; two major workshops were held and new collaborations established with researchers; links were established with other industries such as grains; research reviews were written; deep drainage was included as a management issue in the Cotton Industry’s BMP Land and Water Manual; and a new coordinated research program which covers landscape impacts of cotton irrigation on ground and surface water has been established (Program 2 - The Catchment) in the new Cotton Catchment Communities CRC.