Six sites to receive environmental water in May and June
Water for the Future – Fact sheet
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
May 2009
PDF file
Six sites in the Murray-Darling Basin will receive environmental water in May and June 2009. This water has been obtained from the Restoring the Balance in the Murray-Darling Basin program and from the purchase of Toorale Station.
Watering will commence in early May and continue for several weeks at the sites in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. The water from Toorale Station will be used at five of the six sites: Hattah Lakes, Chowilla Floodplain, Markaranka Floodplain, Overland Corner Floodplain and Backwater Lagoon.
Toorale Station is on the junction of the Darling and Warrego rivers and was purchased by the New South Wales Government in late 2008 with funding assistance from the Australian Government. The objective of the purchase is to return water to the Darling River while providing a boost to the NSW reserve system.
The sites to receive environmental water were selected by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) based on proposals put forward by State Governments and after receiving advice from the Environmental Water Scientific Advisory Committee.
State delivery partners will manage the watering at each site and undertake the monitoring of the ecological responses.
Watering of these sites will bring the volume of water returned to the environment under Water for the Future to 9.4 billion litres. Water for the Future is the Australian Governments 10-year, $12.9 billion plan to secure the water supply for all Australians.
Watering in Victoria
Hattah Lakes
Hattah Lakes in north-west Victoria is an internationally significant wetland, being listed under the Ramsar Convention. It is also an icon site of The Living Murray program and is listed on the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia.
The site consists of highly stressed River Red Gum communities. Watering at this site aims to avoid irretrievable loss of iconic River Red Gums and provide drought refuge for species including the Regent Parrot, which is listed as vulnerable under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.
Lindsay Island
Photo: M. Mohell
Hattah Lakes will receive 2,124 ML (megalitres, i.e. million litres) of water recovered from the purchase of Toorale. In addition, the Victorian Government will provide 1,700 ML, and 1,000 ML will be provided by The Living Murray program.
Lindsay Island
Lindsay Island, on the Victorian and South Australian border, is part of a Living Murray icon site. It contains large areas of River Red Gum, Black Box woodland and diverse wetland habitats. Watering will help maintain the River Red Gums and understorey vegetation which are threatened by depletion of soil moisture and underlying saline groundwater, jeopardising habitats for a diverse range of waterbirds, fish, frogs and turtles.
The Commonwealth will provide 1,000 ML of water to a number of small creeks and billabongs on Lindsay Island. The Victorian Government will provide 1,000 ML.
Watering in New South Wales
Backwater Lagoon
Photo: M. Mohell
Backwater Lagoon
Backwater Lagoon is in the Wangumma State Forest, between the inlet and outlet of Lake Victoria west of Wentworth near the South Australian border. The site supports River Red Gum stands and habitats for species including the Regent Parrot and the Southern Bell Frog, listed as vulnerable under the EPBC Act. The use of water is to avoid irretrievable damage and provide drought refuge. Watering in Autumn and early Winter will maintain soil moisture and promote growth in vegetation in the Spring. This site was watered by the NSW Government in 20052006 under the Red Gum Rescue Project and watering now will ensure gains from the earlier watering are consolidated. The earlier watering resulted in frog and bird breeding, provided habitat for a number of birds and improved the health of trees and other vegetation.
Backwater Lagoon will receive 1,000 ML.
Watering in South Australia
Markaranka Floodplain
Photo: M. Mohell
Markaranka Floodplain
The Markaranka Floodplain, near Waikerie, is one of four priority floodplain areas along the length of the River Murray in South Australia. Watering at this site aims to avoid irretrievable loss of River Red Gum Communities and provide drought refuge for species including the Southern Bell Frog, listed as vulnerable under the EPBC Act, and six species of rare duck.
The Markaranka wetland complex will receive 2,236 ML.
Overland Corner Floodplain
The Overland Corner Floodplain, near Kingston-on-Murray, consists of large areas of River Red Gum, and is a habitat known to support the nationally threatened Regent Parrot. Overland Corner also supports the Great Egret which is listed under Australias bilateral agreement with China on the protection of migratory birds (CAMBA), and the nationally threatened Southern Bell Frog. Watering is expected to prevent permanent environmental damage including significant loss of mature River Red Gums and other flood-dependent vegetation and to provide a critical drought refuge for aquatic species.
The Overland Corner Floodplain will receive 500 ML.
Chowilla Floodplain
The Chowilla Floodplain is north of Renmark and on the SA/NSW border. Chowilla is an icon site under The Living Murray program and part of the Riverland Ramsar site. It contains large areas of River Red Gum, Black Box woodland and diverse wetland habitats. Watering will help maintain the River Red Gums and understorey vegetation which are threatened by depletion of soil moisture and underlying saline groundwater, jeopardising habitats for a diverse range of waterbirds, fish, frogs and turtles.
Gum Flat on the Chowilla Floodplain will receive 1,500 ML of water. This site is an addition to those on Chowilla Floodplain that received Commonwealth environmental water in March 2009.
More information
For more information about the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and environmental watering call 1800 218 478 or visit: www.environment.gov.au/water/policy-programs/cewh
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