The Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area (MIA) is geographically located within the Riverina area of New South Wales was created to control and divert the flow of local river and creek systems for the purpose of food production. The main river systems feeding and fed by the area are the Murrumbidgee and the Tumut. It is one of the most a diverse and productive regions in Australia contributing over 5 billion annually to the Australian economy. The MIA was first established in 1912 following the commissioning of Burrinjuck Dam. Further expansion occurred in the 1970s with the completion of the Snowy Mountains Scheme and construction of Blowering Dam on the Tumut River, which meets the Murrumbidgee near Gundagai.