Feehan Consulting Phone 0358 313 618 Feehan Consulting 84 Balaclava Rd Mobile 0437 354 088 Shepparton Vic 3630 [email protected] Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project Waterway Short‐Listing Report Final Report 11 August 2009 Report prepared for: Chris Solum Project Manager Environmental NVIRP PO Box 1665 Shepparton VIC 3632 [email protected] Report prepared by Pat Feehan Feehan Consulting 84‐86 Balaclava Rd Shepparton VIC 3630 [email protected] Printed Wednesday, August 12, 2009 1:07 PM Document History Date Version Action Issued to Mar 2009 Draft 1 Document created May 2009 Draft B1 Draft for TAC review C Solum 15/5/2009 16/5/2009 Draft B2 Draft for TAC review – C Solum 16/5/2009 by e‐ hydrological info updated mail 12/6/2009 Draft D Comments from TAC incorporated; edits 15/7/2009 Draft E1 Incorporate hydrological C Solum in Word and PDF information from format HydroEnvironmental 16/7/2009 F1 Incorporate comments from TAC 20/7/2009 G Update some hydrological analyses; Saddlier refs and Brolga info. 27/7/2009 H Incorporate ERP comments and Electronically to R Plunkett Water Change Management 29/7/2009 Framework 30/7/09 I Incorporate NVIRP and DSE comments. 3/8/09 J Incorporate further requirements Electronically to R Plunkett of the ERP 3/8/09 11/08/09 K Incorporate further requirements of the ERP I Table of Contents 1. Purpose of this Report .................................................................................................... 1 2. Background .................................................................................................................... 1 2.1. Northern Victorian Irrigation Renewal Project ......................................................... 1 2.2. Desktop assessment ................................................................................................ 4 2.3. Policies, programs and other factors affecting incidental irrigation water ............. 11 2.4. Year selected for baseline flows ............................................................................. 11 2.5. Effects of the irrigation system on waterways ....................................................... 12 3. Water Change Management Framework (WCMF) ....................................................... 12 4. Short‐listing project methodology ................................................................................ 13 4.1. Methodology ‐ hydrology ...................................................................................... 14 4.2. Methodology ‐ Environmental Assessment ............................................................ 14 4.3. Information and reports of relevance .................................................................... 15 Regional River Health Strategies .................................................................................. 15 Threatened species – expert comment (Saddlier et al) ............................................... 15 North Central CMA waterway descriptions ................................................................. 16 5. Short‐listing outcomes – general comments ................................................................ 16 5.1. Types of Waterways .............................................................................................. 16 Excessively wet current water regime ......................................................................... 17 Waterways as drains .................................................................................................... 17 Distributary waterways with values associated with high/flood flows. ...................... 17 Flow stressed ............................................................................................................... 18 5.2. Channel outfall analysis ......................................................................................... 18 Outfall Volume ............................................................................................................. 18 Reduction of Outfall Water Volume due to NVIRP Activities ...................................... 18 Drain Diversions ........................................................................................................... 19 Travel Distance ............................................................................................................. 19 Altered waterways ....................................................................................................... 19 Strategic Measurement Project ................................................................................... 20 6. Outcomes of Specific Waterway Assessments .............................................................. 20 6.1. Bannacher and Pennyroyal Creeks ......................................................................... 20 6.2. Broken Creek ......................................................................................................... 21 6.3. Bullock Creek ......................................................................................................... 22 II 6.4. Calivil Creek ........................................................................................................... 23 6.5. Campaspe River ..................................................................................................... 23 6.6. Loddon River ......................................................................................................... 24 6.7. Nine Mile Creek ..................................................................................................... 25 6.8. Pennyroyal and Nine Mile Creek – immediately downstream of Serpentine Creek outfalls .................................................................................................................. 26 6.9. Pyramid Creek ....................................................................................................... 27 6.10. Sevens Creek ......................................................................................................... 27 6.11. Sheepwash Creek .................................................................................................. 28 6.12. Tongalong Creek ................................................................................................... 29 6.13. Tullah Creek .......................................................................................................... 29 6.14. Twelve Mile Creek ................................................................................................. 30 6.15. Wells Creek ........................................................................................................... 31 6.16. Yambuna Creek ..................................................................................................... 31 7. Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 32 7.1. Hydrological assessment conclusions ..................................................................... 32 7.2. Conclusion from Environmental Assessment .......................................................... 36 7.3. Shortlisting process ............................................................................................... 36 7.4. Timing for preparation of EWPs ............................................................................. 38 8. Recommendations ....................................................................................................... 39 9. Bibliography and Resources.......................................................................................... 41 Appendix A Detailed Waterway Assessments – Summary of Outcomes ........................................... 44 Appendix B Detailed Waterway Assessments – Reconciliation with Desktop Assessment ............... 50 Appendix C Detailed outfall analyses .............................................................................................. 115 Appendix D: WCMF Attachment D .................................................................................................. 136 Contents of Tables Table S1 Summary of outcomes of Shortlisting process and comparison with Desktop list .......... 6 Table S2 NVIRP Works schedule and waterways recommended for further investigation. .......... 7 Table 1 Preliminary list of waterways requiring further investigation ........................................ 5 Table 2 Effects of irrigation system on waterways. ................................................................... 12 Table 3 WCMF documents ........................................................................................................ 13 Table 4 Waterways in prioritised order of known environmental values.................................. 15 Table 5 Summary of outfalls ..................................................................................................... 34 III Table 5 Proportion of outfall volume entering each waterway. ................................................ 35 Table 6 Waterways with high environmental values. ............................................................... 36 Table 7 NVIRP works schedule and waterways recommended for further investigation. ......... 37 Table 8 NVIRP works schedule and waterways recommended for further investigation/EWP. 39 Contents of Figures Figure 1 Goulburn‐Murray Irrigation District ................................................................................ 2 Figure 2 NVIRP area and generalised plan of scheduling