Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority Lower Broken Creek Waterway Management Strategy Final Report – Volume I July 2005 Contents VOLUME I 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Location and Scope 1 1.2 Need for a Revised Strategy 1 1.3 Aim 4 1.4 Approach 4 1.5 Consultation 5 1.6 Accompanying Reports 6 1.7 Structure 8 2. The Lower Broken Creek 9 2.1 The Broken Creek Catchment 9 2.2 Hydrology and Water Use 10 2.3 Geomorphology 13 2.4 Water Quality 13 2.5 Flora 13 2.6 Fauna 14 3. Management Context 15 3.1 1998 Broken Creek Management Strategy 15 3.2 Legislation 17 3.3 Policies, Strategies and Guidelines 19 3.4 Management Roles and Responsibilities 25 4. Vision and Management Objectives 27 4.1 Vision 27 4.2 Management Objective 27 5. Natural Assets and Values 28 5.1 Asset-based Approach to Natural Resource Management 28 5.2 Environmental Values of the Lower Broken Creek 28 5.3 Community Identified Values 34 31/15069/76086 Lower Broken Creek Waterway Management Strategy Final Report 6. Major Threats 35 6.1 Bank Stability 35 6.2 Bed Instability 36 6.3 Barriers to Fish 38 6.4 Channel Modification 38 6.5 Flow Deviation 39 6.6 Water Quality 41 6.7 Exotic Flora 45 6.8 Exotic Fauna 46 6.9 Loss of Instream Habitat 46 6.10 Loss of Riparian Vegetation 47 6.11 Change to Water Temperature 47 6.12 Algal Blooms 47 6.13 Loss of Wetland Connectivity 47 6.14 Stock Access 48 6.15 Community Identified Threats 48 7. Risk Assessment 50 7.1 Priority Threats 50 7.2 Association Between Threats and Values 53 7.3 Management Responses to Address Priority Risks 55 8. Prioritisation of Management Responses 57 8.1 Summary of Findings 59 9. Management Program 61 9.1 Introduction 61 9.2 Management Responses per Reach 61 9.3 Specific Monitoring Programs 62 9.4 Benefits and Cost of Management Responses 71 9.5 Costs of the Strategy 71 9.6 Benefits of the Strategy 72 9.7 Comparison of Benefits and Costs 73 9.8 Conclusion 74 31/15069/76086 Lower Broken Creek Waterway Management Strategy Final Report 10. Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting 75 10.1 Monitoring and Evaluation 75 10.2 Reporting 78 11. Knowledge Gaps and Research 79 11.1 Aquatic and Riparian Vegetation 79 11.2 Weeds 79 11.3 Fish Ecology and Flow Requirements 80 11.4 Water Quality & Management of Excessive Azolla Growth 80 11.5 Erosion 81 11.6 Wetland Ecology and Connectivity 81 12. Cost Sharing Principles 82 12.1 Polluters Pay (Duty of Care) 82 12.2 Beneficiaries Pay 83 12.3 Government Pays 83 13. Implementation and Review 84 13.1 Implementation Structure 84 13.2 Implementation Resources 86 13.3 Implementation Systems 88 13.4 Strategy Supporting Culture 88 13.5 Review 89 14. References 90 15. Acknowledgements 93 Table Index Table 1 Broken Ck System – Diversions within the Broken Creek System 10 Table 2 Broken Creek Systems Channel Outfall Volumes 11 Table 3 Relevant International, Commonwealth and State Legislation 18 31/15069/76086 Lower Broken Creek Waterway Management Strategy Final Report Table 4 Relevant Policies, Strategies and Guidelines 19 Table 5 Roles of Regional Stakeholders 25 Table 6 Environmental values from RiVERS 29 Table 7 Significant fauna of the Reaches of the Lower Broken Creek 29 Table 8 Significant flora identified in RiVERS database 30 Table 9 Community Identified Values 34 Table 10 Threats Rated in RiVERS Database 35 Table 11 Common Water Quality Parameters Monitored Within Victorian Waterways 41 Table 12 Long term monitoring data from Broken Creek at Rices Weir 42 Table 13 SEPP (WoV) water quality objectives 42 Table 14 Community Identified Threats 48 Table 15 Key to management response priority 50 Table 16 Association values adopted for the Riverine Health Strategy 53 Table 17 Generic association values for different threat/value combinations 54 Table 18 Management Responses to Address Priority Risks 55 Table 19 Description of Management Responses 56 Table 20 The multiple benefits and costs of management responses within the Broken Creek 58 Table 21 Summary of the Costs and Benefits for Different Management Actions 60 Table 22 Multiple Benefits of Priority Management responses 61 Table 23 Specific NRM Programs for the Lower Broken Creek 63 Table 24 Summary of Strategy Costs by Management Type 71 Table 25 Summary of Strategy Costs by Management Program 72 Table 26 Summary of Strategy Benefits 73 Table 27 Comparison of Benefits and Costs (discounted at 4% over 30 years) 73 Table 28 Comparison of Benefits and Costs (discounted at 8% over 30 years) 74 Table 29 Monitoring Program for the Broken Creek 76 31/15069/76086 Lower Broken Creek Waterway Management Strategy Final Report Table 30 Roles and Responsibilities for River Health (from GB Regional River Health Strategy) 85 Table 31 Implementation Costs for the Broken Creek Management Strategy 87 Figure Index Figure 1 The Lower Broken Creek 2 Figure 2 Broken Creek catchment and relevant ISC reaches 3 Figure 3 Process for the review and development of the Broken Creek Strategy 7 Figure 4 Assets, threat and action framework – Works Actions target both past and present causes that impact on natural assets 28 Figure 5 Annual Flow Patterns in Broken Creek 40 VOLUME II Appendices A Review of the 1998 Broken Creek Management Strategy B Broken Creek Management Strategy - Setting Priorities for Investment using a Benefit Cost Analysis C RiVERS Environmental Values & Threat Scores D Risk Assessment Results E Unit Cost Assumptions for Costing of Programs and Actions 31/15069/76086 Lower Broken Creek Waterway Management Strategy Final Report 1. Introduction 1.1 Location and Scope This Waterway Management Strategy has been developed to address the key threats to the environmental values of the Lower Broken Creek. The majority of the environmental values and key threats to the Broken Creek occur within the Lower Broken Creek System, and therefore this strategy was developed focusing on this area. For the purposes of this strategy, the Lower Broken Creek is defined as the waterways of the Broken Creek downstream of the confluence of the Boosey Creek, including Nine Mile Creek. This covers the five Index of Stream Condition (ISC) Reaches numbers 21, 22, 23, 24 on the Broken Creek (all downstream of the Boosey Ck confluence) and Reach 28 on the Nine Mile Creek. Figure 1 shows the Lower Broken Creek within the study area, while Figure 2 shows the broader catchment with the five relevant ISC reaches. Many of the issues identified in the 1998 Strategy for the upper Broken Creek catchment still stand, and the original strategy remains current for this part of the Broken Creek system. 1.2 Need for a Revised Strategy The management of the physical condition of the creeks, water quality and significant flora and fauna are central to the Management Strategy for Broken Creek. Degradation of the creek environment has not only resulted in a loss of value perceived by those who live along the creek, but also by visitors and tourist who come to enjoy the specific values retained by the environment. Broken Creek is highly prized as one of the best remaining habitats for the Murray Cod and other native fishes, and the four reaches on the Broken Creek are defined as High Priority Waterways within the Goulburn Broken Regional River Health Strategy as a result of their notable high environmental values. The quality of the water is vital to the residents who live and work near the creek, since it has become a key supplier of water for domestic, stock, urban and irrigation purposes. To a very large degree, the water quality depends on the preservation of the condition of the stream bed, banks and the riparian zone and the management of water flowing into the creek system from adjacent waterway and land systems. A Management Strategy for the Broken Creek was first developed in 1998. As part of the development of the current 2005 Strategy, the current status and effectiveness of the 1998 strategy was reviewed. This review indicated that many of the actions set out in the 1998 strategy to address the priority issues at the time have been implemented, however there are some ongoing and emerging issues in the Lower Broken Creek system that have not been adequately addressed or were not covered by the 1998 Strategy. In addition, adequate resource condition targets were not provided to fully measure the success of the original strategy, and so the revised strategy will need to provide measurable resource condition targets. Further information on the 1998 Strategy and the review outcomes are provided in Chapter 3. The full review is provided in Appendix A. 31/15069/76086 Lower Broken Creek Waterway Management Strategy 1 Final Report Legend Towns Koonoomoo G-MW Drains Streams Bearii Barooga Rivers Roads Strathmerton Yarroweyah Cobram SIR Weirs Cobram East Yarroweyah South Rices Weir Baulkamaugh North Sandmount Picola Katunga Kennedys Weir Schiers Weir Muckatah Barmah Magnussons Weir Barwo Chinamans Weir Naringaningalook Lukes Weir Waaia Hardings Weir Nathalia Broken Creek Town Weir Katamatite Numurkah Broken Creek Kanyapella Melville Street Weir Station Street Weir Katandra Weir Dunbulbalane Nine Mile Creek Drumanure Yambuna Kotupna Mundoona Kaarimba Wunghnu Youanmite Invergorden North Marungi Pederick Barep Wyuna Undera North Yabba North Bunbartha Katandra West Wyuna East Tallygaroopna Katandra Saint Germains Tongala Tongala East Marionvale 0 5 10 15 Zeerust Yabba South Kilometres Undera DATA SOURCE: COPYRIGHT © 2004 180 Lonsdale St Project: Review of the Broken Creek Management Strategy This map must not be MELBOURNE VIC 3000 Prepared.