The local Ngarrindjeri people - through the Ngarrindjeri Tendi Inc, Ngarrindjeri Heritage Committee Inc and Ngarrindjeri Native Title Management Committee - have expressed concern that construction of the regulators would result in "the damage, disturbance and interference with their lands, waters and sky".

Ngarrindjeri Heritage Committee chairman Tom Trevorrow said his people did not approve of any weir or regulator construction.

"In January 2009, we said that we did not support a weir at Clayton and that we supported an holistic approach to the problems occurring in the River, Lower Lakes and Coorong due to over allocation of water," he said.

"That is still our position, but now there are three regulators that will cut up our country and waters."

Mr Trevorrow said limestone spreading and bioremediation of affected areas would be a more 'holistic' approach to combating acidification.

However, River Murray Minister Karlene Maywald said the project was approved by the Murray Darling Basin Authority and received Aboriginal Heritage Approval following extensive discussion between the State Government and local Aboriginal groups.

A Kungun Ngarrindjeri Yunnan Agreement was entered into by the Ngarrindjeri and the State Government.

In the agreement, the State Government acknowledged the Ngarrindjeri will suffer "pain and loss" but considered that, on the basis of consistent expert advice it received, the regulators must be built to prevent an environmental disaster in the Goolwa Channel and tributaries.

The Ngarrindjeri believe the State Government has not adequately justified the basis for construction of regulators at Clayton and upon the Finniss River and Currency Creek.

Ms Maywald said the regulators would be removed when River Murray flows improve and the Lower Lakes recover.

River, Lakes and Coorong Action Group member Diane Bell said a "tsunami of silt" was advancing across the channel from Hindmarsh Island to Clayton Bay as the regulator wall extended into the channel.

"The scale of the project has surprised many who had not realised just how large it would be: 400 metres long and 40 metres wide," she said.

“This is supposed to be a temporary structure but it is hard to imagine how it can all be removed."