The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office has released its Water Management Plan for 2021-22.
Sunshower Lagoon. Photo credit: Vince Bucello
The Plan is the result of months of working with local communities, First Nations, scientists and water managers to prioritise sites and carefully plan where water for the environment might best be delivered in the year ahead.
Interim Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, Hilton Taylor, said local people know their rivers best.
“Local knowledge is key to getting the best possible results for the environment and communities.”
Even with the recent wet conditions, water for the environment still plays an important role in helping to keep rivers and wetlands healthy in the Murray-Darling Basin.
Many of the floodplain wetlands in the southern Basin have not received water for several years. Water for the environment may need to build on nature’s work at ‘thirsty’ sites. These include the mid-Murrumbidgee wetlands, the NSW Central Murray Forests, Hattah-Kulkyne Lakes, and the floodplains at Chowilla, Pike and Katarapko in South Australia.
“If the wet continues, we will look to capitalise on opportunities to extend the duration of flows into important wetlands to benefit wetland plants and support waterbird breeding”, Mr Taylor said.
With more water in the Menindee Lakes, water for the environment will be used to benefit native fish in the lower Darling/Baaka and provide the first flow down the Great Darling Anabranch since 2017.
In the northern Basin, the severity of the recent drought means the recovery of some river ecosystems will take time and require further large flows. Water for the environment will continue to be used to promote the recovery of native fish populations and support the internationally recognised Macquarie Marshes, Gwydir Wetlands and Narran Lakes.
“The wetter conditions present both opportunities and risks. We will avoid delivering water where it will exacerbate third-party impacts from any flooding. We are also prepared to help mitigate risks, such as providing refuge habitat for wildlife if natural flooding results in low-oxygen blackwater events”, Mr Taylor said.
The Water Management Plan for 2021-22 is available on the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office website at www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo.