Euston Lake restoration and improved water efficiency ($0.4 million)

Construction of Marebone fishway and regulator, Macquarie River, NSW

Photo: J. Weeraratne (NSW State Water Corporation)

This funding is for feasibility studies to investigate the management of Euston Lakes to assess water efficiencies and environmental benefits through a more natural wetting and drying regime. Euston Lakes are located on the northern side of the Murray River, approximately 80 kilometres south east of Mildura near the town of Euston.

Upper Murrumbidgee environmental flow enhancement ($0.5 million)

This project will investigate the feasibility of raising the operational flow limit at Gundagai to allow improved environmental outcomes for mid-river wetlands (Wagga Wagga to Hay). The investigation will include the potential for this to provide environmental water efficiencies and will identify the need for complementary actions such as the purchase of easements.

Nimmie-Caira System enhanced environmental water delivery ($0.2 million)

This project will investigate the potential to enhance environmental water delivery to key ecological assets in the Lower Murrumbidgee floodplain (Hay to Balranald) and potentially downstream in the Murray Valley. The investigations will consider the potential to provide both significant environmental benefit and reduce environmental water requirements through changed land use and the use of existing or enhanced infrastructure to better deliver environmental water.

Burrendong Dam environmental flow enhancement ($0.2 million)

This project will undertake a pre-feasibility study to investigate the potential benefit from enhancing the outlet capacity at Burrendong dam, south east of Wellington. This may enable the release of higher pulse flows which could lead to environmental benefits such as native fish spawning and recruitment, and potentially the more efficient delivery of environmental water including to the Macquarie Marshes.

Southern Macquarie Marshes environmental flow enhancement ($0.2 million)

This project is to assess options for more efficient inundation of the South Macquarie Marsh (approximately 50 kilometres north of Warren). This feasibility assessment will include options for restoring more stable floodplains, streambeds and wetlands.

Investigation into efficient delivery of high priority stock and domestic supplies ($0.15 million)

This project will undertake pre-feasibility assessments to identify additional water efficiency gains by piping stock and domestic water supply schemes in high priority locations including in the Macquarie, Murray and Murrumbidgee river systems.

Modify weirs enhance floodplain inundation ($0.2 million)

This project will undertake a strategic assessment (part feasibility) of some existing weirs along the Murray River to determine the optimal weir pool height for facilitating more efficient delivery of environmental water onto the surrounding floodplain in a range of flow events.

Piping irrigation demands ($0.15 million)

This project will undertake pre-feasibility investigations of the potential for water efficiency gains from developing pipelines to supply irrigation users in close vicinity to NSW State Water dams. The investigation will include consideration of the potential to deliver better and more water-efficient environmental outcomes from returning to more variable flow patterns in rivers and streams.

Watering the Lindsay Island floodplain ($1.1 million)

Construction of Mulcra Island works, Victoria

A. Wilkes (DSEWPaC)

This project will progress Stage 2 of the Lindsay Island project by revising concept designs and conducting studies, such as salinity, geotechnical and cultural heritage. Stage 2 involves construction of a large weir and eight smaller regulators to improve inundation regimes for over 5000 hectares including large areas of River Red Gums.

Watering the Wallpolla Island floodplain ($0.1 million)

This project will undertake a review of the existing concept designs for a three kilometre long channel and seven regulating structures proposed to improve inundation regimes of around 1,000 hectares of floodplain, including River Red Gum communities and wetlands, as well as increasing flowing habitat by 50 kilometres. This process may also identify potential additional environmental benefits.

Watering River Red Gum sites along the Murray ($0.2 million)

This project will undertake scoping studies and feasibility investigations into using structural works to deliver environmental water to various Victorian sites, between Echuca and the South Australian Border, including in the newly established reserves for the protection of River Red Gums.

Watering Black box wetlands in Gunbower forest ($0.45 million)

This project will undertake a detailed design of a 50 metre channel to deliver water from the Torrumbarry weir pool to the Gunbower forest; an off take regulator and fishway; and minor earth works to remove man made barriers. These works could potentially inundate over 8,000 hectares of forest, including threatened Black Box woodland and wetlands. The concept design and preliminary studies for the proposed work are already complete.

Watering the Hattah Lakes - Chalka Creek North ($0.15 million)

This project will complete feasibility studies and progress detailed designs of an environmental regulator, upgrade roads and box culverts for Chalka Creek north, approximately 50 kilometres south of Mildura. It will investigate the delivery of water to the site via a pump station that is to be constructed under The Living Murray program.

Katfish Reach and Pike implementation ($0.65 million)

These projects will assess the feasibility of installing new environmental regulators in the Pike floodplain near Renmark and the Katfish Reach floodplain, south of Berri. The aim is to enable broad floodplain inundation with less environmental water than required under a natural flood event. Katfish reach is a demonstration reach for native fish under the Murray Darling Basin Native Fish Strategy.

Eastern Mt Lofty Ranges low flow bypasses ($0.18 million)

This project will undertake pre-feasibility hydrological modelling to determine the strategic placement of possible low flow bypass devices in dams at locations in the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges region.

Implications for environmental water delivery ($0.17 million)

This project will undertake a range of hydrological feasibility and risk assessments to determine the implications of river regulation scale environmental flows to South Australia. It will consider the potential for proposed environmental works and measures to offset sustainable diversion limits from otherwise uncontrolled water losses in the South Australian Murray-Darling Basin.

Queensland Murray Darling Basin environmental works and measures ($1.0 million)

The project will identify the prospects for environmental works and measures in locations such as the Lower Balonne catchment of Queensland. Individual projects will be shortlisted for further development in close consultation with existing community groups and key stakeholders. The proposal also includes development of preliminary costs estimates for priority proposals and development of a program to remediate/ retire overland flow diversion works in priority locations.