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1. New laboratory opened by Deputy PM 6. Preventing the blue-green blues The CRC was established under the Commonwealth Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Program in July 1993. 2. Director’s message 7. Community river health monitoring The Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology provides 4. Flow needs for upland rivers 8. The lament of the Murray River trout cod ecological understanding to improve inland waters by collaborative 5.MDA & CRC agreement research, education and resource management.
He commented that the regional and Lower Basin national importance of the new facility was evident in the bipartisan support it had received. Laboratory opened The Lower Basin Laboratory is a community initiative funded by the CRC and 15 local government and by Deputy water agencies. Officer in charge of Mildura’s Lower Basin Laboratory, Dr Ben Gawne, said the new research facility offered Prime Minister enormous scope to further explore many of the problems that plagued Australia cannot afford to ignore our lowland rivers. the Murray-Darling, Deputy Prime A number of these issues - carp, Minister, Tim Fischer, said at the algal growth and potential control recent opening of the Murray-Darling measures, the effects of river Freshwater Research Centre’s Lower regulation, and the importance of The CRC is a collaborative Basin Laboratory in Mildura. interactions between rivers and their venture between: Mr Fischer opened the laboratory floodplains - were discussed by CRCFE . ACTEW Corporation before an audience of regional scientists at a public seminar held . The ACT Government politicians, water and natural after the laboratory’s official opening. . The Albury-Wodonga resource managers, scientists and Dr Gawne said that while carp Development Corporation community representatives. had been blamed for a plethora of . CSIRO Division of Water the environmental woes degrading Resources and Centre for our rivers, much of the evidence Environmental Mechanics linking carp to river degradation . Gippsland and Southern was circumstantial. Rural Water “While we know that carp do affect . Goulburn-Murray Rural Water turbidity as well as aquatic plants, . La Trobe University we still know very little about the way . Melbourne Water carp interact with native fish species . Monash University and other aspects of river ecology,” he said. . Murray-Darling Basin Commission - continued on page two . Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre . NSW Fisheries . University of Canberra . Sydney Water Corporation The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Tim Fischer, unveils . Wimmera-Mallee Rural Water a plaque at the Lower Basin Laboratory. Watershed 2 December 1996
continued from front page lot of work is The link between Lower Basin Laboratory being conducted on carp and blue-green the age structure of algae is just one of opened by Deputy carp populations. the potential areas Prime Minister Nutrients is another of study for the new area where collaborative lowland river research “The lower reaches work can be conducted laboratory. of the Murray, which is through the CRCFE.” - regulated by a suite of Karen Markwort weirs, also offers a The CRCFE is unique opportunity to consulting with regional study the effects of river water authorities and regulation. Many of the government agencies studies done to date as well as community have been limited by groups to determine lack of replication the laboratory’s because they have been research agenda which conducted in one large is likely to include algal river regulated by just blooms, the impacts one dam or weir.” of river regulation, control options for Dr Gawne said he hoped introduced pest species the laboratory would such as carp and the become a centre for effects of nutrients. collaborative work on lowland rivers. “We are interested in establishing links with the University of Adelaide where a
The opening of the Lower Basin Laboratory in Mildura. From left: Chief Executive of Lower Murray Water, Mr Brian Grogan; Officer in Charge of Lower Basin Laboratory, Dr Ben Gawne; Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Tim Fischer; Director of the CRC Freshwater Ecology, Prof Peter Cullen; and Chairman of the CRC, Dr John Langford. Watershed December 1996 3 Turbulence in the water industry The water industry is going through a These are serious challenges to the From period of great turbulence and uncertainty. professionalism, and to the standing Some of the dramatic re-organisation of people in the water industry. the imposed is already showing signs of The problems are often due to people unravelling. Corporate memory has gone operating outside their areas of Director and stories abound about new managers competence, and not knowing enough desperately trying to find displaced about an area to be able to ask critical employees who might remember how to questions and understand the manage their systems in drought, flood appropriateness of a proposal in any or even when major pipes break. The particular situation. The engineering international water industry is recognising profession has been brought up on the need for capacity building at a time “design manuals”, and seem to believe when Australia is going through a period that complex biological systems can be of capacity shrinking. managed the same way, by adding the A number of recent and very public usual safety margins. failings of professionalism in the water Despite the difficulties currently being industry include: experienced in the water industry, there Director, Prof Peter Cullen. are grounds for optimism. The industry has Failing to consider appropriate system boundaries; moved from grudging acceptance of public Failure to analyse within appropriate time scales; participation in the seventies, through a period of public involvement in the eighties Failure to understand what is already known; to a situation where public ownership of Poor quality investigation and research; land and water problems is dominating the nineties. Landcare and catchment Advocates rather than analysts; management have shifted the power from Inadequate critical review; and large government agencies who were unable to look at the whole system other Domination by fashions. than the bits in their jurisdiction, to a situation where the community is starting to provide the integrated thinking the professionals have failed to deliver. The professionals are now seen as providers of bits of the jigsaw - important to have the bits, but useless by themselves unless someone can put them together. This new and emerging role for the professional means we need to change the way we do things. It is no longer good enough to do things within the narrow perspective of an agency or even a State when our actions have wider ramifications, and other players in the water business have the capacity to point out our shortcomings. These issues provide challenges for all of us. - Peter Cullen Watershed 4 December 1996
Scientists get bug-eyed
This three and a half year over flow study, funded by the Land and Water Resources Research and Development Corporation needs for (LWRRDC) and the National River Health Program, is one of the most extensive experiments to be conducted on stream upland rivers flows in Australia, and perhaps the world. Data from more than Paul Reich (left) and Shane Brooks collecting samples of aquatic insects 4000 sites from throughout from the Queanbeyan River. With most of Australia’s larger, Victoria and NSW were analysed before 10 upland streams were stream management practices randomly selected for the such as changing the flows in experimental studies. The lowland rivers already dammed, our rivers. streams selected included five rivers with relatively constant “These insects are vital the pressure from water users is turning flows and five with highly cogs in the riverine foodchain.” variable flows. Shane said. “Not only do they “It is a multi-disciplinary provide food for larger animals to the relatively untouched and smaller project, integrating hydrology, such as fish and platypuses, geomorphology and ecology,” they also play a cleaning role Shane explained. by consuming organic matter upland streams. Water ecologists, Shane “A major goal is to come up and leaf litter that falls into the with some good, sound scientific stream as well as eating algae.” ecological data to base Using a large portable canvas Brooks and Dr Sam Lake, both from environmental flow decisions on,” he said. “At the moment weir, the experimental work, water licensing and extraction which is conducted over two Monash University and the CRCFE, policies tend to be centred days at three sites in each river, around how much water is in includes manipulating the water the river and how much water flow so that it is increased by 300 are studying how changing the natural the people want to pump. percent in one section of the Everyone says yes, the environ- river and reduced to just 30 ment needs some (water alloca- percent in another section. tion), but there is hardly any flow in an upland river affects the sound ecological data as to how “Our canvas weir is much water the environment designed to mimic the kinds needs and how that water should of flow fluctuations which could aquatic insects inhabiting the stream. be delivered.” be caused through regulation,” Aquatic insects are the tools Shane pointed out. which will provide the necessary They hope that their work will provide The invertebrates in the ecological data. Many water stream are sampled both before agencies throughout Australia, and after installing the weir. including the national Changes in velocity of the information that will guide water Monitoring River Health stream, depth, turbidity and Initiative, are already using these macroinvertebrates as a sign of conductivity are closely managers in making environmentally river health. By their presence monitored while the geology, or absence, these insects provide packing, roughness profile and clues as to the ecological impacts stability of the streambed are sustainable decisions. resulting from landuse as well as described at each site. Watershed December 1996 5
Bringing science and the community Linking science together was the aim of an agreement signed by the Murray-Darling Association and the CRCFE at and community for the Association’s 52nd Annual Conference, Murray-Darling Basin World’s Best Practice?, improved water held in Barmera, SA. The Murray-Darling Association (MDA), is a management forum through which local government agencies throughout the Murray-Darling Basin can voice environmental, economic and social concerns. CRCFE Director, Professor Peter Cullen, said the agreement would formalise the effective working relationship that had been established with the MDA. “To promote the sustainable management of freshwater resources, the CRC must not only Shane Brooks, Paul Reich and Tony Peake setting up the research these systems, but pass the knowledge portable canvass weir in the Queanbeyan River to assess generated onto the people who manage these the affect of flow variation on macroinvertebrates. systems,” Prof Cullen said. “The MDA is comprised of many groups and individuals who have a role in Previous work conducted the management of freshwater resources within by Shane for his PhD thesis the Murray-Darling Basin.” revealed that some streams “The benefits of this agreement are certainly were characteristically stable; reciprocal because the MDA plays a critical role that is, the streambed material in ensuring that the CRC is kept in touch with influenced the impact that high the community’s environmental concerns.” flows had on invertebrate of the type of invertebrates communities. they could expect to find in General Manager of the MDA, Mr Leon Broster, said access to the latest and most relevant “When a flood comes down a rivers with variable or scientific information was essential in making river with a streambed made up constant flow and how those informed decisions on environmental matters. of stable, angular bedrock, the communities would respond water gushes over the top and to fluctuations in flow. pushes the stones down, rather The model will be based on than disturbing them,” Shane hydrological parameters derived explained. “As a result the from flow records and records invertebrates living amongst the from instream measurements. rocks don’t perceive the flood “There is always the chance as a disturbance. that we’ll find out that the flow “In a naturally variable river, regime of rivers really doesn’t small flow fluctuations generated matter at all,” Shane hypothe- by human activity may not have a sised. “It may be more important big impact because the fauna has to look at specific site adapted to that type of flow characteristics of different rivers regime anyway. In rivers with a to determine what processes constant flow regime, that same are going on in that river.” management practice may have CRCFE Director, Prof Peter Cullen (seated right) and Murray-Darling In either case, the study, which Association National President, Mr Max Moor signing a protocol aimed a much greater impact.” is due to be completed at the at enhancing community understanding of land and water issues through Using the data generated by end of 1997, will provide the provision of scientific information. Standing from left: Mr Neil Andrew, the summer field work, Shane important baseline data which Federal Member for Wakefield and Chairman of the Support Committee aims to build a predictive model will contribute to the improved for the Establishment of the Lower Basin Laboratory; Senator Robert Hill, which will provide water future management of Australian Minister for the Environment; Mr David Dalzell, Vice-president MDA; and managers with an indication freshwater streams. Dr Ben Gawne, OIC Lower Basin Laboratory, Mildura. Watershed 6 December 1996 Preventing the Understanding the detailed physical processes at work behind thermal stratification in riverine blue-green weir pools has led to the development of by Simon Torok, Communication Manager CSIRO, strategies to control Centre for Environmental Mechanics blooms of cyanobacteria, blues otherwise known as A numerical blue-green algae. model of the thermal A team of scientists stratification in Maude investigated the effects Weir was developed, of water discharge on following intensive field thermal stratification measurements. and mixing within weir The model was used to pools, and the resulting investigate the effects effects on algal growth. of various management Drs Ian Webster, strategies on thermal Bradford Sherman strata and mixing, and (CSIRO Centre for Environmental consequently on the Mechanics and CRCFE), growth of cyanobacteria. Myriam Bormans (CSIRO The research team CEM), Gary Jones evaluated four different (CSIRO Division of Water strategies to manipulate Resources) and Rod the physical conditions Oliver (CRCFE) have within the weir pool to recently completed the prevent algal blooms final report on the developing. These were project, which is part by: maintaining an of the CRCFE project, elevated discharge Dr Bradford Sherman and Mr Garry Miller, of the CSIRO Centre Control Strategies for through the weir for Environmental Mechanics, take measurements near Maude Cyanobacterial Blooms (between 500 and Weir on the Murrumbidgee River. Photo: CSIRO in Weir Pools. 1000 megalitres per Control strategies day), pulsing the weir These strategies available to river discharge (increase from managers were devised disrupt the development 350 to 1500 megalitres based on knowledge of of thermal strata within per day every three the physical factors the water column of the days), releasing water influencing the growth weir pools, potentially over the weir gate rather and spatial distributions stopping blue-green than under it, and of algal populations. algae blooms. All of the artificial destratification. At Maude Weir on the strategies, based on the Murrumbidgee River, The research team also field observations and water discharge rate was observed that drawing numerical model, offer CRC found to regulate water for human potential benefits for thermal stratification, consumption at deep Web which is the key levels of the weir pool managing algal blooms. controlling factor in reduced the The team plans to test Site the establishment of concentrations of algae the strategies at the algal blooms. in the water supply. weir pool in future work. http://lake.canberra.edu.au/crcfe Watershed December 1996 7
Promoting community monitoring of river health CONTACTS Developing training methods for local streams which government community groups in collecting useful agencies haven’t got the resources to Director: water quality assessment data is the aim focus on. Most importantly, it is an exellent Prof Peter Cullen of a project being conducted by CRC educational tool as it promotes awareness University of Canberra Honours student, Nirvana Searle. about water issues within the community.” PO Box 1 Nirvana is working with volunteers Five training sessions provide the BELCONNEN ACT 2616 from Landcare and Waterwatch groups in volunteers with a background to water Phone: (06) 201 5168 the ACT’s Ginninderra catchment to develop monitoring, particularly biological Fax: (06) 201 5038 a community biological monitoring monitoring; the importance of habitat Email: program that will produce data that may assessment and how it is done; how to [email protected] be used by government agencies in the sample effectively; and how to process a assessment of stream health. sample in the laboratory. The training also Dr Terry Hillman The program is based on biological includes sessions on forming objectives, Deputy Director/ Program Leader assessment techniques using macro- selecting sites, identifying macroinverte- Floodplain and Wetland Ecology invertebrates, unlike many community brates and interpreting and presenting data. Murray-Darling Freshwater water monitoring programs that are mainly Evaluating both the training methods Research Centre concerned with chemical tests. and the data produced is a key aspect of PO Box 921 ALBURY NSW 2640 “Biological monitoring using macro- the program. The volunteers will also be invertebrates is becoming an increasingly involved with assessment of the Ph: 060 58 2312 Fax: 060 431 626 popular method for assessing water quality,” training program. Nirvana said. “The sampling can be The project has the support of the ACT Email: [email protected] conducted relatively quickly and without Government which has contributed $3000 expensive technical equipment; and towards the purchase of one chemical and importantly, it’s also fun. Hence, it is a five biological sampling kits. Professor Barry Hart Deputy Director/Program Leader method ideally suited to community groups. Nirvana said the program, if successful, Water Quality and “One of the key benefits is that it is often could be used as a prototype for other Ecological Assessment easier for community groups to monitor community monitoring programs. Water Studies Centre Monash University PO Box 197 CAULFIELD EAST VIC 3145 Ph: 03 9903 2326 Fax: 03 9571 3646 Email: [email protected]
A training session for the community water quality assessment group on the banks of Ginninderra Creek, ACT. Watershed 8 December 1996
Trout cod - Maccullochella macquariensis. Illustration, by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall, courtesy of MDBC.
Dr Brown said. “Trout cod were found as far downstream as Morgan’s Beach (downstream from Tocumwal) - an area we didn’t really expect to find them.” The low numbers of trout cod which have been recorded is a real Often concern, according to Dr Koehn from MAFRI . spotted “Although it is difficult to determine numbers, the most optimistic estimate but rarely seen: would be less than about 3500 fish - not many for the long term viability the lament of Murray River trout cod of an endangered species,” he said. “The population is also patchily distributed and it is obvious that successful recruitment One of Australia’s most endangered is not widespread nor occurring every year.” native freshwater fish, the trout cod, is still breeding in the lower reaches of the Murray The survey was conducted at eight sites River, a recent scientific survey has found. between Yarrawonga and Murray Bridge However, fisheries’ scientists are worried using boat electrofishing techniques to that the current level of breeding is unlikely gather data such as species, sex, length to sustain future populations. and weight. Data was also gathered at two other sites which were surveyed last year, The survey was conducted by NSW so comparisons could be made. Fisheries, the CRCFE and the Freshwater Ecology Division of the Marine and Another disappointing aspect of this Freshwater Resources Institute (MAFRI) year’s survey, Dr Brown said, were the and part-funded by the Australian Nature “bucket loads of carp recorded”. Conservation Agency’s (ANCA) Endangered Dr Brown said while the exact reasons Species Unit. for the decline in trout cod were unknown, About 36 trout cod, including 10 it was likely that habitat alteration, such new- season juveniles, were recorded as removing snags, river regulation and during the cooperative two-week survey dam construction, was partly to blame. which was conducted through a 200km Competition from alien species such stretch of the river between Yarrawonga as carp and illegal fishing activities were and Picnic Point, upstream of Barmah. other likely causes for the decline of this now protected native. A similar survey conducted last year in the Murray River, downstream of Mulwala, Dr Paul Brown is now working at MAFRI Snobs Creek Campus. found no evidence of breeding in this trout Phone: (057) 74 2217 cod population, the last “wild” population known to exist in Australia. paper on recycled printed
Research scientist with NSW Fisheries Articles in Watershed may be Editor: and the CRCFE, Dr Paul Brown, said this reproduced without prior permission year’s survey was aimed at determining provided the article is reproduced in Karen Markwort how far downstream from Yarrawonga full and the source is acknowledged. Communication Manager the “wild” trout cod population extended. CRC for Freshwater Ecology “We were also checking for the presence University of Canberra of recruitment (new juveniles), because last PO Box 1 year’s results had us worried that the BELCONNEN ACT 2616 population was no longer breeding,” Email: [email protected]