DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, INDUSTRY AND ENVIRONMENT The Murray-Lower Darling catchment and the Long Term Water Plan explained 1 © 2019 State of NSW and Department of Planning Industry and Environment With the exception of photographs, the State of NSW and Department of Planning Industry and Environment are pleased to allow this material to be reproduced in whole or in part for educational and non-commercial use, provided the meaning is unchanged and its source, publisher and authorship are acknowledged. Specific permission is required for the reproduction of photographs. The Department of Planning Industry and Environment (DPIE) has compiled this report in good faith, exercising all due care and attention. No representation is made about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information in this publication for any particular purpose. DPIE shall not be liable for any damage which may occur to any person or organisation taking action or not on the basis of this publication. Readers should seek appropriate advice when applying the information to their specific needs. All content in this publication is owned by DPIE and is protected by Crown Copyright, unless credited otherwise. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), subject to the exemptions contained in the licence. The legal code for the licence is available at Creative Commons. DPIE asserts the right to be attributed as author of the original material in the following manner: © State of New South Wales and Department of Planning Industry and Environment 2019. Cover photo: Murray River, near Gol Gol. Dale Wood. Published by: Department of Planning Industry and Environment 59 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000 PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232 Phone: +61 2 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 1300 361 967 (DPIE and national parks enquiries) TTY users: phone 133 677, then ask for 1300 361 967 Speak and listen users: phone 1300 555 727, then ask for 1300 361 967 Email: [email protected] Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au Report pollution and environmental incidents Environment Line: 131 555 (NSW only) or [email protected] See also www.environment.nsw.gov.au ISBN 978-1-922317-06-3 EES 2019/0497 August 2019 Find out more about your environment at: www.environment.nsw.gov.au Contents The Murray-Lower Darling catchment 1 The Murray-Lower Darling’s freshwater assets 1 Managing water in an altered catchment 2 Introducing the Murray-Lower Darling Long Term Water Plan 3 Background to Long Term Water Plans 3 Development of the Murray-Lower Darling Long Term Water Plan 3 Water for the environment 4 Management strategies and complementary investments 5 Monitoring and evaluation 5 How will the Long Term Water Plan be used? 6 Little pied cormorant. Photo: Vince Bucello. The Murray-Lower Darling catchment and the Long Term Water Plan explained The Murray-Lower Darling catchment The Murray-Lower Darling catchment in southern New South Wales (NSW) covers more than 98,300 square kilometres and forms part of the Murray-Darling Basin. The traditional owners of the Murray-Lower Darling are the Bangerang, Barkindji, Barapa Barapa, Maljangapa, Maraura, Muthi Muthi, Ngiyampaa, Nyeri Nyeri, Tati Tati, Wadi Wadi, Wamba Wamba, Weki Weki, Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri Nations. They maintain their connection through sites of cultural and spiritual significance, and through living, fishing, hunting and working along the river. Albury, Corowa, Moama, Deniliquin, Barham, Wentworth, Black-winged stilt. Menindee and Pooncarie are just some of the communities Photo: John Spencer DPIE. found in the Murray-Lower Darling catchment. The Murray-Lower Darling’s freshwater assets The NSW portion of the Murray River begins in the Australian Alps near Mount Kosciuszko and flows east along a meandering path toward the South Australian border. For much of its course, the Murray forms the border between NSW and Victoria. Along the way, it supports a range of water-dependent ecosystems including instream aquatic habitats, riparian forests, and floodplain watercourses, woodlands and wetlands. The floodplains provide a mosaic of habitat types, including permanent and temporary wetlands and terrestrial habitats. The Darling River forms two distinct channels downstream of Menindee Lakes. The main channel is known as the lower Darling River while the second channel (the original path of the river) is known as the Great Darling Anabranch. The lower Darling River and Menindee Lakes provide important breeding and recruitment habitat for native fish. The rivers and wetlands of the Murray-Lower Darling are important water resources for agriculture, tourism and towns. They also support threatened and iconic species such as Murray cod, silver perch, golden perch and an array of small- bodied native fish. The Murray catchment is home to a broad range of water dependent species including threatened species (Australasian bitterns, brolgas, southern bell frogs and fishing bats), species listed on bilateral migratory bird agreements that Australia has with China, Japan and South Korea, as well as regionally significant native plant communities such as reed beds, spike rush and Moira grass. The Murray-Lower Darling includes several nationally and internationally significant sites. The Millewa, Werai and Koondrook-Perricoota forests are part of the two largest 1 The Murray-Lower Darling catchment and the Long Term Water Plan explained contiguous river red gum forests in the world. These forests are listed under the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the Ramsar Convention) and in the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia, which also includes the Darling Anabranch lakes. The Living Murray icon sites within NSW include the Millewa Forest, Koondrook-Perricoota Forest, the eastern section of Chowilla floodplain and the River Murray Channel. The lowland Murray and Darling rivers have been declared ecologically endangered ecosystems. Managing water in an altered catchment The health and condition of the Murray-Lower Darling’s freshwater assets is largely driven by river flows that connect river channels, anabranches, floodplains and wetlands. Flows that provide these connections support organic carbon transfer and nutrient cycling, trigger movement and breeding of native fish and waterbirds, and directly impact vegetation condition and habitat availability. River flows in the Murray catchment are regulated by a number of dams, including the Hume near Albury. Management of the river is also influenced by flows entering from its tributaries including the Murrumbidgee and Darling rivers, along with Victorian rivers including the Mitta, Ovens and King, Goulburn and Campaspe. Murray cod. Photo: Gunther Schmida. In recent years, the NSW and Australian governments have increased the amount of water dedicated to supporting healthy rivers and floodplains in the Murray-Lower Darling catchment. Water managers are working closely with river operators and local communities to deliver this water where and when it is needed – providing benefits for plants, animals and people. During dry years, water management is focused on maintaining the function of river channels and high priority wetlands. In wet seasons, water is managed to enhance the effects of natural flows to improve ecological health and resilience and provide opportunities for plants and animals to reproduce. 2 Moira grass in the central Murray. Photo: Vince Bucello. The Murray-Lower Darling catchment and the Long Term Water Plan explained Introducing the Murray-Lower Darling Long Term Water Plan The NSW Government’s Long Term Water Plan (LTWP) for the Murray-Lower Darling is an important step; identifying the requirements for maintaining and improving river, wetland and floodplain health in the catchment, and recognising its connection and contribution to the overall health of the Murray-Darling Basin. Background to Long Term Water Plans The Basin Plan establishes a framework for managing environmental water at the Basin and catchment-scale. The framework is designed to ensure environmental water managers work collaboratively to prioritise water use to meet the long-term needs of native fish, water-dependent native Peron’s tree frog. Photo: John Spencer DPIE. vegetation and waterbirds and co-ordinate water use across multiple catchments to achieve Basin-scale outcomes. The Basin-wide Environmental Watering Strategy (BWS) and LTWPs are central features of this framework. The BWS establishes long-term environmental objectives and targets for the Basin and its catchments. Catchment-scale surface water LTWPs identify strategies that can be applied locally that will contribute to the achievement of the expected BWS environmental outcomes. Development of the Murray-Lower Darling Long Term Water Plan The Murray-Lower Darling LTWP is one of nine plans being developed to cover the NSW portion of the Murray–Darling Basin. Its development included six main steps. • A catchment-wide stocktake of water-dependent environmental assets and ecosystem functions that are recognised internationally; natural or near-natural; provide vital habitat; and/or can support threatened species or communities, or significant biodiversity. • Determining specific objectives and targets for native fish, water-dependent birds, vegetation and frog species and ecosystem functions in the Murray-Lower Darling. • Defining the environmental water needed to sustain and improve the health and/or extent of priority environmental assets and ecosystem functions.