Restoring and Protecting the Lachlan River Valley 2016-17

unless noted otherwise. noted unless

WAT387.0516B All images by Commonwealth Environmental Water Office Office Water Environmental Commonwealth by images All

Lachlan long-term monitoring site monitoring long-term Lachlan Blackwinged stilts in flight in stilts Blackwinged

Back cover: Lachlan River Lachlan cover: Back

Wetlands Booligal Cover:

water delivery over the long term. long the over delivery water Photo: Brooke Lenon Brooke Photo:

Above: Welcome to Wiradjuri country on the Lachlan River. River. Lachlan the on country Wiradjuri to Welcome Above: planning and management of environmental environmental of management and planning

Traditional Owners, to help shape the regional regional the shape help to Owners, Traditional

community groups, including Aboriginal Aboriginal including groups, community

continue to forge local partnerships that allow allow that partnerships local forge to continue

committees within the catchment. We will will We catchment. the within committees

regularly attends community forums, events and and events forums, community attends regularly

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office Office Water Environmental Commonwealth The

Murray-Darling Basin Authority. Basin Murray-Darling ■

WaterNSW ■

University of New South Wales South New of University ■

Charles Sturt University Sturt Charles ■

University of Canberra of University ■

community members community

Group, which includes local landholders and and landholders local includes which Group,

Lachlan Environmental Water Advisory Advisory Water Environmental Lachlan ■

Industries - Fisheries - Industries

New South Wales Department of Primary Primary of Department Wales South New ■

Central Tablelands Local Land Services Land Local Tablelands Central ■

Industries - Water Water - Industries

New South Wales Department of Primary Primary of Department Wales South New

■

2016–17 2016–17

Lignum communities in Booligal Wetlands Booligal in communities Lignum

Heritage

RIVER VALLEY RIVER

New South Wales Office of Environment and and Environment of Office Wales South New ■ GPO Box 787, Canberra ACT 2601 ACT Canberra 787, Box GPO

E: [email protected] E:

Postal address: address: Postal

LACHLAN

including: including:

309 682 0427 M:

past and present. and past

with a number of people in the Lachlan Valley, Valley, Lachlan the in people of number a with

2630 6951 02 P:

@theCEWH

their cultures and to their elders both both elders their to and cultures their

planned, delivered and managed in partnership partnership in managed and delivered planned,

RESTORING AND PROTECTING THE THE PROTECTING AND RESTORING

Wales South New

We pay our respects to them and and them to respects our pay We

Commonwealth environmental water is is water environmental Commonwealth

www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo W:

Local engagement officer – Leeton, Leeton, – officer engagement Local

to water, land and community. community. and land water, to

E: [email protected] [email protected] E: Lenon Erin knowledge and the latest science. latest the and knowledge

respects their continued connection connection continued their respects Commonwealth Environmental Water Office Water Environmental Commonwealth

T: 1800 803 772 772 803 1800 T: water management involve local local involve management water

Australia’s traditional owners and and owners traditional Australia’s

The best approaches to environmental environmental to approaches best The locally.

Water Holder acknowledges acknowledges Holder Water

suggestions for the use of environmental water water environmental of use the for suggestions

The Commonwealth Environmental Environmental Commonwealth The

Erin Lenon, to learn more about our work or offer offer or work our about more learn to Lenon, Erin Our partners Our

Please contact your local engagement officer, officer, engagement local your contact Please

Lachlan Valley. Valley. Lachlan

Commonwealth environmental water in the the in water environmental Commonwealth native fish and waterbird breeding. breeding. waterbird and fish native water provided by New South Wales Office of of Office Wales South New by provided water species and communities under the reed and Cumbungi (a semi-aquatic

requirements for sale or purchase of of purchase or sale for requirements

complements natural events and environmental environmental and events natural complements wetting over 9000 hectares and providing signals for for signals providing and hectares 9000 over wetting Environmental water is Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 plant) in the Great Cumbung Swamp.

To date, there have been no specific specific no been have there date, To

Commonwealth environmental water often often water environmental Commonwealth spread through the Great Cumbung Swamp, Swamp, Cumbung Great the through spread and endangered populations under the

Maintain the current species diversity

translucent flow reached the end of the system it it system the of end the reached flow translucent dedicated to improving Fisheries Management Act 1994. We are also irrigation districts. districts. irrigation

2010-11 and 2015-16. and 2010-11 and increase abundance of waterbirds

combination of held environmental water and and water environmental held of combination between between working toward the achievement of Lachlan Lachlan

natural system throughout the Basin’s Basin’s the throughout system natural the health of our rivers, by supporting breeding opportunities. bank slumping and black water. When the the When water. black and slumping bank was used in the the in used was environmental outcomes as outlined in the 2016–17 2016–17

needed to restore and protect the the protect and restore to needed

environmental water water environmental for a slower recession phase to minimise the risk of of risk the minimise to phase recession slower a for Create the right conditions that for use in in use for Basin-wide Environmental Watering Strategy

bring back some of the river flows flows river the of some back bring

Commonwealth Commonwealth floodplains and carried over carried

environmental water action was resumed to allow allow to resumed was action water environmental (part of the implementation of the encourage fish to move between

142.28 GL GL 142.28 of of

was water Environmental Water Holder to help help to Holder Water Environmental

translucent flow, the Commonwealth and NSW NSW and Commonwealth the flow, translucent Murray-Darling Basin Plan). areas and improve the age ranges,

Approximately

environmental environmental wetlands. the translucent flow. At the completion of the the of completion the At flow. translucent the enables the Commonwealth Commonwealth the enables genetic diversity and health of their

Commonwealth Commonwealth

water action was suspended to allow passage of of passage allow to suspended was action water communities.

infrastructure and other measures, measures, other and infrastructure 26.25GL

of of Summary of longer-term outcomes

River Water Sharing plan, and the environmental environmental the and plan, Sharing Water River The Lachlan Valley contains diverse

investment in more efficient irrigation irrigation efficient more in investment under the Basin-wide Environmental

142.28

the translucent flow rules of the Lachlan Regulated Regulated Lachlan the of rules flow translucent the GL and rich natural environments. Its

Government, including through through including Government, Watering Strategy

26.25 water. During this event, high natural flows triggered triggered flows natural high event, this During water. natural waterways are a source of water

The water acquired by the Australian Australian the by acquired water The

using NSW and Commonwealth environmental environmental Commonwealth and NSW using supply for domestic water use, diverse Maintain base river flows, with the region

initiated targeting the Great Cumbung Swamp Swamp Cumbung Great the targeting initiated experiencing more bank-full and ‘fresh’

2015-16.

in in agriculture, tourism and recreational supply supply

In 2015-16 an in-channel fresh was planned and and planned was fresh in-channel an 2015-16 In events.

the Lachlan Valley Valley Lachlan the activities and Aboriginal cultural values water was used in in used was water since 2013. since

environmental water water environmental

environmental environmental and practices.

generally experienced persistent dry conditions conditions dry persistent experienced generally

of Commonwealth Commonwealth of A fresh event describes an increase in levels

36.02 GL GL 36.02 average rainfall. However, the catchment has has catchment the However, rainfall. average Commonwealth Commonwealth of the river beyond the base flow, but does

Environmental water is delivered to key locations 2015-16, conditions were moderate due to above above to due moderate were conditions 2015-16, not fill the river or go over the bank.

throughout the Valley to support the region’s many

conditions in the lower Lachlan catchment. In In catchment. Lachlan lower the in conditions unique native animals, plants, birds and fish. The

environmental watering events have improved the the improved have events watering environmental

released from the dams. the from released region’s river system, floodplains, swamps and

In recent years, high natural flows and large-scale large-scale and flows natural high years, recent In Maintain the current extent of river red inflows is generally richer in nutrients than water water than nutrients in richer generally is inflows wetlands provide habitat for birds including

gum and blackbox communities, along

Lachlan catchment because water from tributary tributary from water because catchment Lachlan straw-necked ibis, glossy ibis and egrets, Australian

Basin Plan implementation. implementation. Plan Basin with improvements to condition including environmental benefit. benefit. environmental are an important contributor to the health of the the of health the to contributor important an are painted snipe, osprey and blue-billed duck, and

increased numbers of young trees. catchment) for equal or greater greater or equal for catchment) communities, as part of Murray-Darling Murray-Darling of part as communities,

seasonality, and flow variability. Translucent flows flows Translucent variability. flow and seasonality, a range of native fish including the critically

trade (sell water or buy in another another in buy or water (sell trade ■

with local land and water managers and and managers water and land local with intended to restore natural medium to high flows, flows, high to medium natural restore to intended endangered silver perch. These wetlands also Maintain and improve the condition of

type of planned environmental water event that is is that event water environmental planned of type use in the next water year (‘carryover’) (‘carryover’) year water next the in use Environment and Heritage in consultation consultation in Heritage and Environment feature areas of valuable river red gum forest and lignum communities particularly focusing

hold on to the water and carry it over for for over it carry and water the to on hold

■ storage. This is called a translucent flow and is a a is and flow translucent a called is This storage. woodland, blackbox woodland and lignum. on the shrublands in the Lower Lachlan Holder and New South Wales Office of of Office Wales South New and Holder

or a volume is released down the river from from river the down released is volume a or region, which are important habitats for demands the Commonwealth Environmental Water Water Environmental Commonwealth the Commonwealth environmental flows are designed

tributaries is allowed to flow the length of the river, river, the of length the flow to allowed is tributaries waterbirds found throughout the Basin. use water to meet identified environmental environmental identified meet to water use ■

this region is planned and managed by by managed and planned is region this in partnership with state and local delivery

period 15 May to 15 November, water from from water November, 15 to May 15 period partners to improve connections between rivers, Maintain and prevent any further decline Delivery of held environmental water into into water environmental held of Delivery

can agree to: agree can

each year) flows into the Wyangala Dam over the the over Dam Wyangala the into flows year) each floodplains and wetlands particularly, to those sites of vegetation communities in, or near, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Holder Water Environmental Commonwealth amount of water (250,000 ML since 1 January of of January 1 since ML (250,000 water of amount

constraints and climatic conditions, the the conditions, climatic and constraints that support nationally threatened species under Lachlan River and Willandra Creek. It is in the Lachlan to date to Lachlan the in water in the regulated Lachlan river, if a certain certain a if river, Lachlan regulated the in water

Depending on river operating rules, flow flow rules, operating river on Depending the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity also important to maintain the common

Under the state rules that govern management of of management govern that rules state the Under Conservation Act 1999, NSW-listed threatened

Environmental water use use water Environmental

used for irrigation and domestic purposes. domestic and irrigation for used Lachlan long-term monitoring site What is a translucent flow? translucent a is What Environment and Heritage, as well as water water as well as Heritage, and Environment unless noted otherwise. noted unless