Edition 2, December/January 2011-12

Welcome to the second edition of the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) Watering Update. This edition includes an update of environmental watering actions that happened across the state in December 2011 and January 2012, and a general news update.

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, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, storage operators, Parks Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and Environment to deliver environmental water.

This update reports on the systems where the VEWH has Water Holdings and there is current environmental watering events occurring. 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.

w w w. v e w h . v i c . g o v . a u P a g e 1 o f 4

Moorabool systemWhere - Release from Lal Lal Reservoir into the Moorabool River.

When - Began late January 2012 for 10 days.

What/how much - Summer fresh targeting flows of 31 ML a day at Morrisons. This total is made up of 4 ML of environmental water delivered on top of 27 ML of Barwon Water consumptive water releases. Why - Improve in-stream habitat, enhance fish movement and flush the system of organic matter and sediment that has built up in habitat pools.

Who – Corangamite CMA.

Watering recap

Wimmera systemWhere Wimmera River – Release from Lake Lonsdale into the Wimmera River via Mt William Creek. MacKenzie River – Release from Lake Wartook into the MacKenzie River.

When Wimmera and MacKenzie Rivers – Releases began for both rivers in December 2011. Releases were temporarily ceased in the Wimmera River in mid December due to flow targets being met naturally from high unregulated flows. Releases are planned to recommence at the beginning of February 2012.

What/how much Wimmera River – Targeting summer baseflows of 5 ML a day at Lochiel.MacKenzie River – Targeting summer baseflows of 2 ML a day at Distribution Heads.

WhyWimmera River – Maintain water quality and habitat for fish including the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act-listed freshwater catfish.

MacKenzie River – Maintain permanent pool habitat for fish.

Who – Wimmera CMA.

Southern Victoria

Western Victoria

Hattah LakesSource - Bob Merlin

Slackwater

w w w. v e w h . v i c . g o v . a u P a g e 2 o f 4

Goulburn system Where – Release from Goulburn Weir into the Goulburn River.

When

Summer fresh - Began early December and finished late December 2011.

Summer baseflows - Began late December 2011 and will continue through to May 2012.

What/how much Spring fresh - Targeted flows of 4,700 ML a day at Murchison.

Summer baseflows - Targeting flows of 940 ML a day at McCoys Bridge. Consumptive water en route has been meeting target flows since early January 2012, removing the need for managed releases of Commonwealth environmental water.

Why

Summer fresh - Deliver flows downstream to meet environmental demands in the Lower Lakes in South Australia.

Summer baseflows – Maintain aquatic vegetation, pool habitat, low flow and slackwater zones to provide habitat and connectivity for macroinvertebrates (bugs) and native fish.

Who – Goulburn Broken CMA, Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.

Northern Victoria

Broken system (lower Broken Creek)Where – Releases from the Murray and Goulburn systems into Broken Creek.

When - Began late December 2011 and will continue through to May 2012.

What/how much - Targeting summer flows of 250 ML a day at Rices Weir. Consumptive water en route has been meeting target flows since early January 2012, removing the need for managed releases of Commonwealth environmental water.

Why - Provide habitat and connectivity for native fish.

Who – Goulburn Broken CMA, Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.

Slackwater is a patch in a river where there is little to no current or flow. It provides important nursery habitat for many species of fish and other aquatic animals such as freshwater shrimp. Slackwater also produces important food sources including microfauna (microscopic animals), benthic algae (algae that grows on the bottom of a river) and organic matter for animal species living in a river.

Other usesSlackwater is a term also used to describe the period of still water around the turn of the tide, especially at low tide.

What is slackwater?

Glenelg systemWhere - Release from Rocklands Reservoir into the Glenelg River.

When

Summer freshes - First fresh in early December 2011 for six days. Second fresh in mid January 2012 for six days.

Summer baseflows - Began mid December 2011 and will continue through to May 2012.

What/how much

Summer fresh - Targeting 65 ML a day at Harrow.

Summer baseflows - Targeting 16 ML a day at Dergholm.

Why

Summer fresh - Improve water quality for fish, particularly following cease to flow events.

Summer baseflows - Maintain permanent pool habitat for fish.

Who – Glenelg Hopkins CMA.

Broken CreekSource - GBCMA

Frazer Swamp on the Glenelg RiverSource - GHCMA

w w w. v e w h . v i c . g o v . a u P a g e 3 o f 4

Where – Lake Carpul, via Lake Powell.

When - Mid December 2011 continuing into winter 2012.

What/how much - Pumping of 2,500 ML into Lake Carpul.

Why - Provide ecological 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.

Where – Barmah-Millewa Forest, downstream of Yarrawonga.

When – Releases occurred throughout December 2011 and continued into early 2012. Watering is now being reduced to prepare for a summer/autumn drying of the floodplain.

What/how much

Spring pulse – Targeted flows of 15-16,000 ML a day for seven days in late November to early December 2011.

Low level watering of floodplain – Maintaining water levels at 11-12,000 ML a day.

Why – The spring pulse aimed to promote fish spawning in Barmah-Millewa Forest. Following this pulse, flows continued to provide shallow flooding of colonial waterbird sites, maintaining bird breeding. Water was required until early 2012 to ensure successful fledging of these birds, before drying the forest to benefit the native vegetation.

Who – Goulburn Broken CMA, New South Wales Government, Murray-Darling Basin Authority on behalf of the Living Murray program.

Darter in the Barmah-Millewa Forest Source - Keith Ward, GBCMA

Loddon systemWhere – Release from Loddon Weir into the Loddon River.

When – Late November through to mid December 2011.

What/how much – Targeted a spring fresh of 650 ML a day for six days downstream of Loddon Weir.

Why – Maintain channel form and processes, including pool habitat for macroinvertebrates (bugs) and native fish (including river blackfish) and facilitate fish movement.

Who – North Central CMA.

Freshes are short duration peak flow events. They are flows that rise above the base flow, lasting for at least several days. Freshes provide short pulses in flow and are an important part of the variability of flow regimes in a system.These types of flow events mimic what would happen as a result of an intense, localised rainfall event in an unregulated system.

Freshes provide benefits including improving water quality, allowing the input of freshwater and mixing of pools, triggering fish spawning and migration, encouraging bird breeding, and flushing organic matter and sediment that may have built up in a river system.

Types of flow (flow components) - what are freshes?

Northern wetlands and floodplains

Campaspe system Where – Released from Lake Eppalock into the Campaspe River.

When - December 2011 through to May 2012.

What/how much - Targeting summer low flows of 10 ML per day at the Campaspe Siphon. Consumptive water en route has been meeting target flows since early December 2011, removing the need for managed releases of Commonwealth environmental water.

Why - Reinstate slackwater habitat, maintain aquatic vegetation and water quality, and provide connectivity for native fish and macroinvertebrates (bugs).

Who – North Central CMA, Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder.

Majors Line, 3 December 2011 (Looking upstream) Source - NCCMA

Majors Line, 9 December 2011 (Looking upstream) Source - NCCMA

w w w. v e w h . v i c . g o v . a u P a g e 4 o f 4

A variation has been made to the VEWH Seasonal Watering Plan for the Glenelg system. The variation has been made to reflect the availability of additional water sources and a subsequent review of priority watering actions.

It has been approved by the VEWH based on a revised proposal from the Glenelg Hopkins CMA.Details of the variation can be found on the VEWH website at www.vewh.vic.gov.au.

The VEWH announced earlier this month that it intends to sell a small amount of water allocation in the northern Victorian water market over the coming months.Denis Flett, VEWH Chairman, said trading gives the VEWH the opportunity to manage its Water Holdings to maximise environmental benefits, in line with its Seasonal Watering Plan 2011-12.

“We are intending to progressively sell a small amount of water from our Holdings in the coming months. This decision has been made in light of seasonal conditions and our ability to meet foreseeable priority watering actions,” Mr Flett said.The full news item is available on the VEWH website www.vewh.vic.gov.au.

Seasonal Watering Plan variation - Glenelg system

VEWH entering the northern Victorian water market

VEWH news

Where – Gunbower Creek and Gunbower Forest.

When

Gunbower Creek – Releases into Gunbower Creek continue from mid-November 2011, using consumptive water en route.

Gunbower Forest – Releases began in late December 2011 and continued to the end of January 2012.

What/how much

Gunbower Creek – Provision of baseflows and a series of freshes. Up to 7,000 ML has been made available to account for losses associated with the delivery of consumptive water through the creek.

Gunbower Forest – 1,000 ML to maintain the flood extent in the Little Gunbower wetland complex.

Why

Gunbower Creek – Build resilience and enhance native fish populations in Gunbower Creek and provide fish passage. The watering will also have benefits for fringing vegetation.

Gunbower Forest – To ensure an established colony of waterbirds have an opportunity to successfully complete their breeding cycle, especially the Great Egret.

Who – North Central CMA, Murray-Darling Basin Authority on behalf of the Living Murray program.

Where – Round Lake.

When - Second delivery started mid December 2011. Delivery will continue intermittently until June 2012.

What/how much – Targeted 170 ML over 17 days, as part of the delivery of a total of 600 ML.

Why – Maintain water quality for the Murray hardyhead.

Who – North Central CMA.Round LakeSource - Bridie Velik-Lord, NCCMA

Great Egret chicksSource - Ben Goonon, NCCMA

Consumptive water is water provided for all human uses (ie. non-environmental uses). Rivers, creeks and wetlands are often used to deliver consumptive water from storages to water users. The timing and route of this delivery can sometimes be altered to provide environmental benefit without impacting water users.

Using consumptive water en route can also involve timing environmental releases with consumptive releases to achieve greater environmental benefits than an environmental release alone could achieve. For example, environmental water can be used to build on irrigation flows to water river red gums.The use of consumptive water en route reduces the amount of extra environmental water needed to meet specific objectives.

What does ‘using consumptive water en route’ mean?