Environmental Water

& Barrage Operations

Adrienne Rumbelow

Icon Site Coordinator

Environmental Water Operations - DEWNR

Lower Lakes, Coorong

& Murray Mouth

Chowilla

floodplain

Registered environmental

entitlements (held environmental

water)

SA Minister’s

Environmental

License (56.604 GL)

The Living Murray

(MDBA) (479.9 GL)

Commonwealth

Environmental Water

Holder (1331.6 GL*)

*Southern connected basin only

Annual Planning for E-Water –

state process

LLCMM Icon Site

Chowilla Icon Site

SA River Channel

Fringing wetlands &

floodplains

Weir pool manipulation

LLCMM Icon Site Objectives

Annual Planning for E-Water –

LLCMM

LLCMM

Water Bid

Review ecological

monitoring data Modelling flow

scenarios &

potential e-

water

Consultation with key

groups

Aligning timing with

other assets

Review key targets

(volumetric / salinity)

Consultation – annual e-water

planning LLCMM

Scientific Advisory Group

Community Advisory Panel NRA – Yarluwar Ruwe

Action

Provide water for seasonal

variation of lake levels

12 months continuous

fishway releases

Enhanced barrage releases

through late

spring/summer

EXAMPLE: dry water availability scenario

….request 570 GL e-water

Actual Delivery: Flow at SA Border

Actual Delivery – Daily Barrage Releases

Threatened Fish Decline: Data

March 2009

Nov 2008:

Threatened fish at 14 sites

March 2009:

Threatened fish at 6 sites,

evidence of recruitment at only 1

site, and deteriorating conditions

at all sitesWedderburn & Barnes 2009

2013/2014 ‘multisite’ watering

Differential barrage releases –

seasonal priorities

late spring/summer (30:70) winter (50:50)

Pulsing – daily flow adjustments

based on tide and wind patterns

Source: www.willyweather.com.au

THANK YOU!

Data Acknowledgements

• Flow graphs– Jessica Iacopetta (DEWNR)

• Threatened fish– Scotte Wedderburn & Tom Barnes (University of Adelaide)

• Modelling outputs- DEWNR SMK (Matt Gibbs and James Fuller)

Thanks to the CEWH and MDBA (TLM) for the water

The Living Murray is a joint initiative funded by the NSW, VIC, SA, ACT & Commonwealth governments,

coordinated by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority