Restoring and Protecting the Murrumbidgee River 2017-18

Home , Billabong Creek, Billabong Creek (Junee), Goobarragandra River, Kosciuszko National Park, Murrumbidgee River, Riverina

noted otherwise. noted All imagesby Commonwealth Environmental Water Officeunless Back cover: Yanga NP. Luca Credit: Ferla Cover: Lake, Piggery Yanga NP. Skye Credit: Wassens Above: Luca Gooragool Lagoon.Credit: Ferla respects their continued connection their cultures and to their elders both to elders cultures and their their The Commonwealth EnvironmentalThe We respects to our pay and them Australia’s traditional owners and to water, community. and land Water acknowledges Holder past and present. and past

WAT412.0617 Commonwealth Environmental Water Office MURRUMBIDGEE MURRUMBIDGEE RESTORING AND PROTECTING THE THE PROTECTING AND RESTORING 2017–18 SNAPSHOT RIVER The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office We use environmental works in partnership with state government agencies and local organisations to plan and water to improve the manage flows for the environment. We are health of our working to achieve the environmental outcomes outlined in the Basin-wide Environmental rivers, floodplains Watering Strategy and the Murray–Darling Basin Plan. and wetlands Summary of longer term outcomes Throughout the Murray–Darling Basin, under the Basin-wide Environmental we deliver water to important locations Watering Strategy to support the health of waterways Maintain base river flows and increase the and the many unique native plants, number of bank-full and ‘fresh’ events. fish, frogs, birds and other animals that A fresh is an increase in a river’s water depend on them to survive and thrive. levels beyond the base flow. It does not fill the river or go over the bank. The Murrumbidgee River contains diverse and rich Maintain the area of river red gum and natural environments. Its waterways provide water black box forests and woodlands, improve for domestic use and extensive irrigated their condition and increase the survival agriculture, support tourism and recreational rate of young trees. activities, and are central to the cultural values Improve the condition of lignum and practices of Aboriginal traditional owners. communities, particularly focusing on the The vast Lower Murrumbidgee River floodplain, shrublands in the Lower Murrumbidgee. covering about 200,000 ha, includes some of the largest lignum wetlands in New South Wales. It is Maintain the area of non-woody plants, an important bird breeding site, particularly for particularly in and near the Murrumbidgee royal spoonbill, great egret, straw-necked ibis, River, Billabong Creek and Yanco Creek. Australian white ibis and glossy ibis. Maintain the diversity of waterbird species The nationally significant mid-Murrumbidgee and increase their populations by wetlands support river red gum and black box supporting breeding opportunities. forests and woodlands that provide habitat for Create the right conditions to improve the threatened species including the southern bell frog. health of native fish and encourage their The region also features the Ramsar-listed spawning and movement, with the aim of Fivebough and Tuckerbil Swamps wetland in the increasing overall populations. Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area.

Murrumbidgee River at Balranald. Credit: Andy Huxham ■ providing habitat for waterbirds, native fish Water for the and other aquatic animals Supplying water for Murrumbidgee ■ improving the condition of riverbank and the environment wetland plants environment to date ■ increasing opportunities for native fish to The water acquired by the Australian move from the floodplain to the river Government through investment in The environmental need for water channel and within the river channel more efficient irrigation infrastructure is a reflection of the health of rivers, ■ supporting successful waterbird breeding and other measures enables the wetlands and floodplains, and the ■ Commonwealth Environmental plants and animals they support. reconnecting the river channel with wetlands and the floodplain Water Holder to provide river flows Ecological health is influenced by needed to restore and protect the flows and conditions in the past. ■ managing natural flood recessions and hypoxic blackwater events. natural system throughout the Basin. In some cases, this can date back Natural high flows in spring 2016 have many years. We use this water to supplement natural replenished the catchment and supported floods and water provided by other plant growth and waterbird breeding. In the years since the millennium drought broke, environmental water holders. higher natural flows and large-scale Watering priorities for 2017–18 include building Depending on climatic conditions, environmental watering have improved on the positive responses of plant communities river operating rules and constraints on the the condition of many wetlands in the lower and providing recruitment opportunities for flow of water, the Commonwealth Murrumbidgee. However, in some areas— waterbirds, fish, turtles and frogs. Recruitment Environmental Water Holder can decide to: particularly in the mid–Murrumbidgee and the means the survival of a species through all life Junction Wetlands—poor flows have hindered stages and into the next generation. ■ use water to meet identified the recovery of plants, frogs and turtles. environmental demands The overall objective of environmental watering ■ hold on to the water and carry it over for in the Murrumbidgee catchment has been to use in the next year (carryover) protect and restore the mid-Murrumbidgee ■ trade (buy or sell water) for equal or wetlands, while maintaining the health of other greater environmental benefit. important sites and the native plants and aquatic animals that depend on them. This includes: ■ maintaining critical in-channel and wetland refuge habitats for native fish, waterbirds and frogs

Narwie Swamp, North Redbank. Our partners ■ Charles Sturt University ■ the Murrumbidgee Environmental Water Allowance Reference Group (which includes The best approaches to water local landholders, irrigation industry management involve local representatives and community members) knowledge and the latest science. ■ the Murray–Darling Basin Authority.

Commonwealth environmental watering is Staff from the Commonwealth Environmental planned, delivered and managed in Water Office regularly attend community forums, partnership with individuals and groups in the events and committees in the catchment. Murrumbidgee River region. Partners include: We continue to forge local partnerships to ensure that community groups, including Aboriginal ■ the New South Wales Office of Environment traditional owners, have the opportunity to help and Heritage (including the National Parks shape the regional planning and management of and Wildlife Service) environmental water delivery over the long term. ■ Water NSW To learn more about our work or offer suggestions ■ the New South Wales Department of for the use of environmental water, please contact Primary Industries your local engagement officer, on M: 0427 682 309 or E: [email protected] ■ Riverina Local Land Services Steam Engine Swamp, North Redbank.

Magpie geese at Tori Lignum Swamp, North Redbank. Pelicans at Is-Y-Coed, Nimmie-Caira.

MURRUMBIDGEE RIVER Commonwealth Environmental Water Office

The Murrumbidgee River Responding to environmental and provide habitat and recruitment Yanco Creek system: There is moderate demands in 2017–18 opportunities for waterbirds, native fish, turtles demand for water to maintain the existing good travels around 1600 and frogs. The timing and extent of watering condition of wetland plants. Depending on the kilometres from the The following plans for 2017–18 are based on depends on environmental demand and natural availability of water, environmental watering careful consideration of the urgency of cues of target species such as the southern bell may reconnect and refill anabranch creeks and Kosciuszko National Park, environmental demands (from year to year and frog, Murray cod, Australasian bittern and lagoons in the mid-Yanco Creek system. over multiple years) and what we believe can eastern great egret. Junction Wetlands: The Junction Wetlands are through the low-lying plains be achieved, depending on water availability. of the western Riverina, to its If there is little water available, watering will in decline because of insufficient inundation. 1121.70 Mid-Murrumbidgee wetlands: These wetlands focus on maintaining critical refuge sites for fish, This means there is high demand for GL junction with the Murray River are in decline due to a lack of inundation, so turtles and frogs. In wetter conditions, large-scale environmental water to protect these wetlands. there is high demand for water to prevent wetland and floodplain inundation may Inundation of the Junction Wetlands requires A downstream of Balranald. further decline and help their recovery. be possible. This will help maintain and improve coordinated higher flows in the Murray 1121.70 GL the health of wetlands in the Redbank system and Murrumbidgee. If reconnection is not 78.50 A high priority for water delivery is to support the (including Yanga National Park), the possible, water may be pumped to some 241.50 GL GL The Murrumbidgee system is regulated by two reconnection of the mid-Murrumbidgee Nimmie-Caira property and the Western Lakes. individual wetlands. major headwater storages: Burrinjuck Dam on wetlands to the Murrumbidgee River. This will the Murrumbidgee River and Blowering Dam contribute to river flows and inundate wetlands, Regional-scale watering (for example, restoring For more information on our planning process, A 78.50 GL between 2009–10 on the Tumut River. preventing further decline in vegetation and landscape-scale waterbird habitat through the see the 2017–18 Portfolio Management Plan for carried over and 2016–17. providing habitat for species including lower Lachlan and Lowbidgee floodplains) may the Murrumbidgee River at www.environment. Most of the water in the Murrumbidgee gov.au/water/cewo waterbirds, fish, turtles and frogs. It will also help also occur in wetter conditions. comes from the upper headwaters of the 2016–17. W meet demands downstream, including in Yanco catchment, including the Cotter, Yass, Murrumbidgee River channel, anabranches and 20171 . Creek, the Junction Wetlands and the Molonglo, Queanbeyan and Tumut rivers. distributaries: There is moderate demand for Lowbidgee floodplain wetlands. Tributaries immediately downstream of the water to support the ongoing recovery of native This watering will be influenced by water fish populations. Previous watering actions have dams—including Goobarragandra River and A total of 7.50 gigalitres were transferred out of the Murrumbidgee via inter–valley Adelong, Adjungbilly, Tarcutta and Kyeamba availability, the capacity for dam releases, and helped increase native fish populations and transfers into the NSW Murray system in February 2017. In May 2017, 13.5 GL were creeks—also make a significant contribution assessment of potential impacts on third parties. improved water quality. transferred into the Murrumbidgee catchment via inter–valley transfers from the If reconnection is not possible, water may be to water flows in the Murrumbidgee. Watering in 2017–18 may focus on supporting pumped to some individual wetlands. Victorian Goulburn system. These transfers were made in order to balance the native fish health and movement, by improving Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder’s portfolio across the southern flows that connect the river and its anabranches Lowbidgee floodplain wetlands: Environmental connected Basin in 2016-17. watering will contribute to maintaining the and distributaries, and building habitat and condition and diversity of wetland vegetation conditions favoured by native fish. 1 1000 Egret in flight over Lowbidgee

Murrumbidgee River Outcomes snapshot Murray-Darling Basin

Brisbane ! ! Scientific monitoring shows that water delivered to the Murrumbidgee River is providing food, ! habitat and breeding opportunities for many of the region’s native fish, waterbirds, plants and

other wildlife.

# ! # Full monitoring reports are available on our website at # www.environment.gov.au/water/ #

Sydney #

# cewo/catchment/murrumbidgee/monitoring Adelaide !

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# Canberra # #

! # 2016–17—preliminary results # !

! Melbourne

# Environmental watering supported many different types of waterbirds across the ## mid-Murrumbidgee, Nimmie-Caira and Redbank zones. This included the first recorded large-scale pelican breeding event in Nimmie-Caira (approximately 6000 nests), and

large-scale breeding of straw-necked ibis, Australian white ibis, eastern great egret and # cormorants in Yanga National Park, north Redbank and Nimmie-Caira.

Fivebough and

# urrumbidge Tuckerbil

# M e

! Swamps Environmental flows provided refuge habitat and movement opportunities for native

R # #

iv er Leeton# ! !

Balranald Mid # fish and other aquatic animals, and helped to reduce the severity and duration of the

# Murrumbidgee # hypoxic blackwater event in the Lower Murrumbidgee River.

Lowbidgee Wetlands

Junction Floodplain # They also supported large numbers of frogs and turtles across the mid-Murrumbidgee, Wetlands #

Nimmie-Caira and south Redbank zones, including southern bell frog tadpoles k # observed at Nap Nap and Avalon swamps in Nimmie-Caira.

a nco Cree !

Y Wagga

Wagga # Canberra

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# 2015–16 # #

# ! ! !# ! Environmental watering supported breeding of waterbirds including Australian darter, ! Ginini Flats

! Town ! ! ! Wetland little pied cormorant, Australian white ibis, little egret and yellow-billed spoonbill.

# Complex ! !! ! #

Weir There were at least 200 active eastern great egret nests.

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! # River # ! Consecutive years of inundation at Yarradda Lagoon in the mid-Murrumbidgee

! Internationally Significant Wetlands ( Ramsar Wetlands ) #

# wetlands have increased the diversity and extent of native aquatic plants, including

Nationally Significant Wetlands (DIWA Wetlands) #

# spiny mud grass. #

# Wetland Other #

# Environmental water also supported the spawning of eight species of native fish

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Protected area #

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# in the Murrumbidgee River, including golden perch, silver perch and Murray cod. #

Irrigation area #

# Juvenile Murray cod and golden perch were observed.

Nimmie Caira Project

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# Southern bell frog activity was recorded at numerous sites in the Murrumbidgee Valley. # #

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# This included very large numbers in Nimmie-Caira, and the first detection of southern 0 50 100km # bell frogs (including tadpoles) at Yarradda Lagoon in the mid-Murrumbidgee since the 1970s.

LTIM monitoring at Yarradda Lagoon