Success of the scheme
The scheme has proved tremendously successful and is widely (and rightly) supported by the community that contributed to its creation.
Since inception, the equivalent of over 12,484 tonnes of salt have been discharged by credit holders without significant impact on the Hunter River environment. This is equal to a 21-metre cube of solid salt, or salt a metre deep covering a football field.
The target of 900 EC has not been exceeded as a result of participants' discharges. Occasional exceedences are, however, still caused by diffuse sources of saline runoff. New mines can readily be granted discharge licences, with significant economic and employment benefits for the valley.
These improvements have occurred despite the drier than average weather pattern since the scheme began. The graph opposite shows that in previous dry spells (early 1980s and around the turn of the decade) salinity levels were very high. These have not been repeated while the scheme has been in operation (which has been similarly dry).