The River Murray flood event, peaking in December 2022 and causing impacts into early 2023, was one of South Australia’s most devastating disasters, disrupting every facet of life along the river.

The peak flow of 186 gigalitres a day reached the South Australian border in December 2022. By contrast, residents in Greater Adelaide consume approximately 200 gigalitres of water per year. Almost 91,000 hectares of land was inundated, impacting agricultural areas, national parks and reserves, and residential land alike. Thousands of properties were damaged, with many livelihoods upended.

The State Government, with assistance from the Australian Government, invested over $194 million in an extensive assistance and recovery program to help return to a new normal.

Long term recovery works are continuing along the River Murray, including  remediation works on the Lower Murray Reclaimed Irrigation Area (LMRIA) levees led by the Department for Environment and Water (DEW).

River Murray Flood Recovery Final Report

In April 2025 the Government of South Australia released the 2022-2023 River Murray Flood Recovery Final Report.

This report provides a summary of the recovery processes and initiatives implemented by the State Government, with funding support provided by the Commonwealth Government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), along with important recovery efforts undertaken by communities, local councils, non-government organisations (NGOs), volunteers, and other recovery partners.

The report outlines important achievements of the recovery phase, and the task that still lies ahead, across the four nationally recognised recovery domains: social; economic; built environment (or infrastructure); and the natural environment.

Read the 2022-2023 River Murray Flood Recovery Final Report (PDF, 4.7 MB).