The Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council is preparing to hold a pivotal water recovery debate.

Ahead of the first in-person meeting of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council this week, South Australia has called for an end to a controversial test on water recovery projects. 

The test - which is part of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan - requires any project designed to deliver an additional parcel of 450 gigalitres of environmental water to SA to demonstrate it will not have any negative social or economic impacts on communities.

SA Water Minister Susan Close says she will withdraw support for the socio-economic test. 

“I am putting the eastern states on notice,” Ms Close said in a statement.

“South Australia will not settle for anything less than the full 450 gigalitres promised to us, regardless of how it's achieved.”

SA’s previous water minister David Spiers agreed to the socio-economic test in 2018, in return for federal funding for environmental projects the Coorong and Adelaide's desalination plant.

The Murray-Darling Basin Plan has already transferred 2,100GL of water from farming to the environment, and sought to achieve the remaining 605GL of water recovery through state-run projects.

This water and the 450 GL must be recovered by June 2024, according to the plan, but the Productivity Commission and the recent Water for the Environment Special Account report have warned that the state projects are unlikely to be completed on time.

Some states have already asked to extend the 2024 deadline so that projects can be completed.

“We've got a big job ahead of us,” federal Water Minister Tanya Plibersek said ahead of this week’s meeting.

“Particularly on delivering the 450GL of additional environmental water - that was a condition for SA signing onto the Murray Darling Basin Plan.”