Edition 5, June 2012 environmental waterings Welcome to the latest edition of the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) Watering Update. This edition includes an update of environmental watering actions that happened across Victoria in June 2012 and details about the VEWH Seasonal Watering Plan 2012-13. The VEWH is an independent statutory body responsible for holding and managing environmental water entitlements in Victoria. The VEWH works with waterway managers (catchment management authorities and Melbourne Water), the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, Commonwealth Environmental Water, storage operators, Parks Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and Environment to deliver environmental water. A full list of VEWH Holdings is available in the Seasonal Watering Plan 2011-12 and at www.vewh.vic.gov.au. If you have any suggestions or feedback, or wish to subscribe to this update, please email adam.miller@vewh.vic.gov.au. Header image - Bottlebrush on the Glenelg River. Source - Stephen Ryan, Glenelg Hopkins CMA.
Platypus found in the Tarago River Source - Sarah Gaskill Melbourne Water
Watering recap Southern Victoria
Thomson system Where - Release from Thomson Reservoir into the Thomson River. When - Began in mid-April. Environmental flows were stopped in early June due to high natural flows. What/how much - Winter baseflows targeted 230 ML a day. Why - Provide migration flows for native fish, including the Australian grayling. Who - West Gippsland CMA, Melbourne Water.
Thomson River Source - West Gippsland CMA
Macalister system Where - Released from Lake Glenmaggie into the Macalister River. When - began in mid-April. Environmental flows were stopped in early June due to high natural flows. What/how much - Winter baseflows targeted 320 ML a day. Why - Provide migration flows for native fish, including the Australian grayling. Who - West Gippsland CMA, Southern Rural Water.
Macalister River Source - West Gippsland CMA
Barwon system Where - Diversion into Hospital Swamps from the lower Barwon River. When - Inlet was opened in late May, and closed in early June. The inlet may be opened again up until the end of August. What/how much - Filling flows. Actual volume determined by river heights. Why - Maintain the condition and extent of wetland vegetation, and maintain opportunities for waterbird breeding, recruitment and foraging. Who - Corangamite CMA.
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Hospital Swamps Source - Corangamite CMA
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Moorabool system Where - Release from Lal Lal Reservoir into the Moorabool River. When - Began in early June and ended late June. What/how much - Winter baseflows targeted 83 ML a day at Morrisons. Why - Provide a diversity of habitat types to support populations of native fish. Who - Corangamite CMA, Central Highlands Water.
Western Victoria
Moorabool River Source - Corangamite CMA
Wimmera system Where Wimmera River - Release from Lake Lonsdale via Mt William Creek, and Taylors Lake into the Wimmera River. MacKenzie River - Release from Lake Wartook into the MacKenzie River. When Wimmera and MacKenzie rivers - Began in early June and will continue into August. What/how much Wimmera River - Targeting winter baseflows of 37 ML a day at Lochiel. MacKenzie River - Targeting winter baseflows of 37 ML a day at Distribution Heads. Why Wimmera River - Maintain water quality and habitat for fish including the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act-listed freshwater catfish.
MacKenzie River - Maintain water quality, habitat and connectivity for fish and macroinvertebrates. Who - Wimmera CMA, Grampians-Wimmera-Mallee Water.
Glenelg system Where - Release from Rocklands Reservoir into the Glenelg River. When - Began in early June and will continue into November. What/how much - Targeting winter baseflows of 150 ML a day at Harrow. Why - Provide connections for fish movement and to wet low areas along the river bank (channel margins) and low islands (bars) to promote the growth of shrubs, reeds and trees. Who - Glenelg Hopkins CMA, Grampians-Wimmera-Mallee Water.
Frasers Swamp Source - Stephen Ryan, Glenelg Hopkins CMA
Wimmera-Mallee wetlands system Where - Roselyn Wetland. When - Began mid May and ended late June. What/how much - Delivered filling flows of 15 ML. Why - Improve the condition of fringing black box vegetation and provide habitat for waterbirds, including the Australian painted snipe. Who - Mallee CMA, Grampians-Wimmera-Mallee Water.
Roselyn Wetland Source - Mallee CMA
Wetland phases - wetting/filling flows As water arrives in a wetland, soils become waterlogged and release nutrients. These nutrients promote a range of biological processes including the stimulation of macroinvertebrate production. Aquatic plants respond to the arrival of water by growing from seedbanks and new shoots. Animal species such as frogs, turtles and fish respond to the water by spawning and laying eggs in and around the wetland. This phase also provides breeding habitat for waterbird species such as egrets, ibis and cormorants and can sustain the health of river red gum forests.
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Heart Morass Source - West Gippsland CMA
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Northern Victoria
Campaspe system Where - Release from Lake Eppalock into the Campaspe River. When - Releases began in mid June 2011 and continued until the end of June. What/how much - Targeted winter low flows of 100 ML a day at Rochester Why - Provide habitat, connectivity and maintenance of water quality for native fish and macroinvertebrates. Who - North Central CMA, Commonwealth Environmental Water, Goulburn-Murray Water
Loddon system Where Loddon River - Release from Loddon Weir into the Loddon River. Birch’s Creek (Bullarook) - Release from Newlyn Reservoir into Birch Creek. When Loddon River - Began in late May and ended in late June. Birch’s Creek (Bullarook) - Began late May and ended in early June.
Birch’s Creek, downstream of Lawrence Weir Source - North Central CMA
What/how much Loddon River - Targeted winter low flows of 100 ML a day downstream of Loddon Weir. Birch’s Creek (Bullarook) - Targeted a summer fresh of 15 ML a day. Why Loddon River - Maintain habitat and connectivity for macroinvertebrates and native fish (including river blackfish), maintain water quality, support aquatic vegetation growth, and prevent encroachment of terrestrial vegetation. Birch’s Creek (Bullarook) - Maintain habitat and connectivity for macroinvertebrates and native fish (including river blackfish), promote a diverse range of aquatic and riparian vegetation. Who - North Central CMA, Goulburn-Murray Water.
Northern wetlands and floodplains
Where - Lake Carpul, via Lake Powell. When - Began mid-December 2011 and ended in early June. What/how much - Pumped 2,060 ML into Lake Carpul. Why - Provide environmental benefits including: • improving the condition of the long-term water-stressed black box community • facilitating the establishment of aquatic lake bed and fringing understorey vegetation • providing habitat, food sources and breeding resources for many wetland dependent species • renewing the seed bank. Who - Mallee CMA, Lower Murray Water.
VEWH news New plan provides the blueprint for environmental watering in Victoria in 2012-13 The Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) has released its second Seasonal Watering Plan, providing the blueprint for Victoria’s environmental watering program in 2012-13.
The Seasonal Watering Plan is available from the VEWH website (www.vewh.vic.gov.au), online by clicking here, or by contacting the VEWH on (03) 9637 8951.
The Seasonal Watering Plan 2012-13 sets the scope for where, when, how and why environmental water will be used across Victoria’s rivers, wetlands and floodplains, building on the solid foundation established in the 2011-12 plan. Denis Flett, VEWH Chairperson said the plan includes environmental watering programs for 17 systems across Victoria. “For each system, a range of possible seasonal conditions, from very dry to very wet, have been considered which allows us to manage to actual conditions as the year unfolds.”
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Little Hattah Source - Mallee CMA
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