Little Swamp Wetland
Photo D. Markovic
Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
Australia's water ecosystems - rivers, wetlands, floodplains and the plants, fish and birds they support - are vital to Australia's long term sustainability. Due to the impacts of the on-going drought and climate change, some river systems are under significant stress.
To help address this problem, the Water Act 2007 establishes the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to manage the water entitlements that the Commonwealth is currently acquiring through the following programs.
- Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin Program (water entitlement purchasing)
- Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure Program
The amount of water available for use depends on the volumes acquired and seasonal water allocations. For information on the Commonwealth's environmental water holdings see:
How is the water being used?
Water that is held in the Murray-Darling Basin will be managed in accordance with the environmental watering plan that will be developed by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority. The environmental watering plan will be part of the Basin Plan and will be developed in consultation with state governments and stakeholders.
While that plan is being developed, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder is delivering water to protect or restore important environmental assets.
A panel of scientific experts has been appointed to advise on the use of environmental water. The Environmental Water Scientific Advisory Committee comprises prominent scientists and experts in fields such as hydrology, limnology, river operations management, river and floodplain ecology and the management of aquatic ecosystems.
For more information about the committee see:
2008 - 2009 approach
The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder is working cooperatively with other holders of environmental water to maximise the benefits to the environment.
The approach outlined in the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Business Plan is that the use of Commonwealth water in 2008-09 would be aligned with The Living Murray (TLM) objectives for an extreme dry period:
- avoiding the loss of threatened species
- avoiding irretrievable damage or catastrophic events, and
- providing drought refuges to allow recolonisation following the drought.
The priority given to individual sites and watering actions during 2008-09 has been based on an assessment against assessment criteria which were provided to Basin jurisdictions.
Chowilla Floodplain watering
Photo: P. Doyle
2008 - 2009 watering actions
On 24 March 2009, the Minister for Climate Change and Water announced the first use of water from the Commonwealth's environmental water holdings.
The sites that received water in South Australia are:
- Chowilla Floodplain part of the Riverland Ramsar site
- Paiwalla Wetland between Mannum and Murray Bridge
- Rocky Gully, also near Murray Bridge, and
- Carpark Lagoons on the Katarapko floodplain.
Further releases of environmental water have been announced in 2009. The sites receiving water in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia are:
- Lindsay Island in the Murray-Sunset National Park in Victoria
- Hattah Lakes, a Ramsar listed site southeast of Mildura in Victoria
- Gum Flat, on the Chowilla Floodplain, South Australia
- Markaraka Floodplain, near Waikerie, South Australia
- Overland Corner Floodplain, South Australia
- Murbpook Lagoon, South Australia, and
- Backwater Lagoon, in the Wangumma State Forest, near New South Wales
Most of the water for these subsequent releases is sourced from allocations against entitlements held by Toorale Station, on the junction of the Darling and Warrego rivers, which was purchased by the NSW Government in late 2008 with funding assistance from the Australian Government.
The water from Toorale has flowed along the Darling River and, as a trial arrangement agreed with New South Wales for 2008-09, will now provide water for wetlands and floodplains of the Murray River.
To date a total of 10.9 billion litres has to date been allocated to the environment in 2008-09.
For more information about watering actions see:
- Environmental watering locations
- Criteria for short listing watering priorities in 2008-09
- First Commonwealth environmental water to benefit SA wetlands - Media release 24 March 2009
- First release of Commonwealth Water for the Environment - Fact sheet
- More water returned to Murray-Darling Basin's stressed rivers and wetlands - Media release 6 May 2009
- Six sites to receive Commonwealth environmental water - Fact sheet
- Additional environmental water for Murray-Darling Basin - Media release 26 May 2009
- Environmental watering at Lindsay Island - Video 29 May 2009
- 1.5 Billion Litres of extra water for South Australian Wetlands - Media release 26 June 2009
Further information on the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
- Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Fact sheet
- Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder Frequently Asked Questions
- Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder 2007 - 2008 Annual Report
- Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder 2008-09 Business Plan
If your queries are not covered by the above information, you can also call 1800 218 478 or send an email to: cewh@environment.gov.au.
Subscribe to the Water Matters newsletter
The Water Matters newsletter provides subscribers with up-to-date information about the Australian Government's Water for the Future plan.
See also
- Bureau of Meteorology - water information
- Council of Australian Governments' Water Reform Framework
- Lake Eyre Basin Agreement
- Living Murray Initiative
- Murray-Darling Basin Authority
- National Water Commission
- National Water Initiative
- Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) Scheme
- Water for a Healthy Country Flagship
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