DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, INDUSTRY & ENVIRONMENT

Protecting the future of the Darling River

Water for river health

Healthy rivers are the lifeblood of inland NSW. The iconic Darling River is part of a connected They support social, economic and environmental system. Events that occur in the Darling River can outcomes. In regulated rivers, the future of these have a significant impact on the southern Murray– important ecosystems relies on the responsible Darling Basin. management of water. By managing the delivery of water into the Darling In NSW, the Department of Planning, Industry River and its anabranch, DPIE is able to target and Environment (DPIE) manages a share of the outcomes like fish breeding and movement, water available water to maintain and support the health quality, plant health and building food webs that support native animals. of rivers and wetlands. DPIE works in partnership with communities, landholders, researchers, non- Water managers recognise the critical role of the government organisations and allied government Darling River in providing outcomes for the whole departments. of the southern connected basin including the environment.nsw.gov.au Murray River, Edward–Wakool, Murrumbidgee and Flows for the lower Darling River Victorian tributaries such as the Goulburn River. Work is ongoing to protect and enhance the plants, The lower Darling River is home to a significant animals and processes that are essential to the population of endangered Murray cod. While the future of the river system. population of cod is known to include a range of ages which indicates regular past breeding, an increase in the number of times the lower Darling Water for the Darling Anabranch River has ceased to flow has greatly reduced In 2017, DPIE managed the release of 100 gigalitres opportunities for breeding. of environmental water from Lake Cawndilla into In 2016, Murray cod were stranded in a series the Darling Anabranch. of small, shallow, saline ponds along the lower The aim of this watering event was to provide a Darling River. DPIE managed an environmental flushing flow for the anabranch to provide passage water delivery to connect the pools. Without this for native fish (in particular golden perch), support environmental flow it is unlikely these fish would other native plants and animals and improve water have survived beyond six months. quality. After a natural flow event in late 2016, plans were approved for a further release of environmental Lake Cawndilla – the southernmost lake within the water to support Murray cod breeding. This Menindee system – is the only available release water delivery provided an opportunity for fish point for juvenile golden perch to enter the to complete their breeding cycle and also boost Darling Anabranch and the rivers of the southern the food web in order to sustain the population. connected basin. Monitoring showed a significant positive breeding Golden perch numbers within Lake Cawndilla response, with possibly the greatest number of and the other three Menindee Lakes surged as a juvenile Murray cod recorded in over 20 years. result of natural flooding in the Darling in 2016. The flow also contributed to improving water Environmental water is provided a connection quality and reduced salt readings. between their nursery habitat in Lake Cawndilla and the rivers of the southern connected basin. Cover photo: the Darling Anabranch, P Brown. Above left to right: Murray cod, G Schmida; a researcher on the Without this link, these golden perch would have Darling Anabranch, P Brown; water arrives, P Brown. been stranded in Lake Cawndilla, vulnerable to © 2017 State of NSW and Department of Planning, Industry the lake drying out. They would have had no and Environment opportunity to escape unless another large ISBN: 978 1 76039 769 2 natural flow occurred. EES2019/0604 May 2017; updated November 2019