Restoring and Protecting the Murrumbidgee River 2017-18

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder acknowledges Australia’s traditional owners and respects their continued connection T: 1800 803 772 Commonwealth Environmental Water Office to water, land and community. E: [email protected] W: www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo We pay our respects to them and RESTORING AND PROTECTING THE their cultures and to their elders both @theCEWH past and present. MURRUMBIDGEE Postal address: GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601 RIVER 2017–18 SNAPSHOT Above: Gooragool Lagoon. Credit: Luca Ferla Cover: Piggery Lake, Yanga NP. Credit: Skye Wassens Back cover: Yanga NP. Credit: Luca Ferla All images by Commonwealth Environmental Water Office unless noted otherwise. © Commonwealth of Australia, 2017 WAT412.0617 WAT412.0617 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 An estimated 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 of 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 Commonwealth (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 environmental water Nimmie-Caira property and the Western Lakes. individual wetlands. major headwater storages: Burrinjuck Dam on wetlands to the Murrumbidgee River. This will of Commonwealth was used in the Murrumbidgee the

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