Wetlands Australia National Wetlands Update February 2013
Issue No. 22, February 2013
ISSN 1446-4843
New South Wales Government Update
Office of Environment and Heritage
Wetland communities and river systems in NSW have made significant progress towards recovery following the second consecutive year of natural flooding and the continued support of NSW environmental water delivery and on-ground works and infrastructure.
In 2011-12, NSW delivered over 795 300 megalitres of environmental water sourced from NSW, Australian Government and The Living Murray environmental water accounts. This water supported wetlands and rivers and supplemented the natural inflows where necessary across the Gwydir, Macquarie, Lachlan, Murrumbidgee and the Murray and Lower Darling valleys. Wetland and aquatic vegetation responded with vigour, providing greatly enhanced breeding opportunities for waterbirds, frogs and fish.
In the Gwydir Valley, thousands of waterbirds returned to breed and fledge their young in the first successful major colonial waterbird breeding event in the region since 1999. Images can be viewed in the Waterbirds Return as the Gwydir Floods photo essay .
Paika Lake, in the Murrumbidgee Valley, hosted more than 20 000 waterbirds, including three threatened species, following the delivery of environmental water managed by the NSW Government in collaboration with a small group of landholders. A short film that captured the project can be viewed at: Paika Lake filled for the first time in a century .
The NSW Riverbank program was completed in 2012. This $105 million program was the first in Australia dedicated to the purchase of water entitlements for the environment, successfully securing 94 166 megalitres of water entitlements from willing sellers. This brings the total acquired NSW environmental water holdings to 358 940 megalitres.
