The Living Murray Environmental Works and Measures Program. From Dreams to Construction

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1 The Living Murray Environmental Works and Measures Program From Dreams to Construction Ben Dyer August 2009

2 The EWMP history Part of The Living Murray Major growth with $500m injection from Commonwealth Many ideas / dreams $590 million worth $275 million budget Prioritised to 7 major projects Constrained by funding

3 Prioritised works Chowilla Mulcra Hattah Gunbower Koondrook Perricoota The River Murray Channel (Fishways)

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8 Fishway program - EWMP Site Built Contracted In design Goolwa Barrage Tauwitchere Barrage Lock 1 Lock 2 Lock 3 Lock4 Lock 5 Lock 6 Lock 7 Lock 8 Lock 9 Lock 10 Lock 11 Lock 15 Torrumbarry Yarrawonga Stevens Weir Edward River Offtake

9 Fishway program - EWMP Built works Monitoring Resnagging Remaining fishways $15.9 m $ 5.3 m $ 3.5 m $46.1 m Total $ 70.8 m 25% of program

10 Chowilla Replace bank E with rock ramp fishway Major structures on Chowilla creek, woolshed creek (south and east) Upgrade Slaney and Pipeclay weirs gates and fishways

11 Chowilla Fauna Rare / Vulnerable / Endangered Birds Apostlebird Regent parrot Darter Australian bittern Musk duck Blue Billed duck Australasian shoveler Freckled duck White-faced heron Banded stilt Bush stone-curlew Square-tailed kite Peregrine falcon White-bellied sea-eagle Major Mitchell s cockatoo Gilbert s whistler Blue-faced honeyeater Little friarbird Striped honeyeater Restless flycatcher White-winged chough Pink cockatoo Fish Murray cod Murray hardyhead Silver perch Freshwater catfish Fly specked hardyhead Crimson-spotted rainbowfish Dwarf flat-headed gudgeon Reptile and Amphibians Southern bell frog Broad-shell tortoise Murray tortoise Eastern tiger snake Carpet python Morelia Lace monitor Mammals Common brushtail possum Feathertailed glider Western pygmy possum

12 Chowilla Flora Rare / Vulnerable / Endangered Brachycome basaltica var. gracilis Callitriche umbonata Calocephalus sonderi Calotis scapigera Crassula peduncularis Crassula sieberana ssp. tetramera Elatine gratioloides Eragrostis lacunaria Exocarpus strictus Goodenia heteromera Hydrilla verticillata Isolepis producta Maireana pentagona Muehlenbeckia horrida Myriophyllum crispatum Myriophyllum papillosum Nymphoides crenata Osteocarpum acropterum var.acropterum Picris squarrosa Pratia concolor Ranunculus pumilio Vittadinia australasica Zanichellia palustris

13 Chowilla - operations Generally presented as fill it up Overly simple Never one size fits all Practically want a range and variability Structures can operate over full range Respond to available water, flow conditions and antecedent condition on the flood plain

14 Lindsay Island Next on the list at prioritisation Replace Mullaroo Weir with gated structure and fishway Open the upper Lindsay to flow

15 Mulcra Island Water Management Works Design Inundates 184ha Wetlands 153ha Lignum 156ha Redgum 39ha Black Box Also allows additional spring flows and drying phases Improves fish passage Cost ~ $6.3M

16 Mulcra operations Base flow (current conditions) Spring fresh (bankfull flow, flow in upper section of the creek) Horseshoe wetland inundation (50 years in 100) Maximum floodplain inundation (50 30 years in 100)

17 Hattah 3 large regulators 3 small levee banks 1 large pump station

18 Hattah operations Natural inflows plus pumping Use regulators to extend duration Pump from peak of natural events Drain through both outlets How long to hold full? Adverse vegetation outcomes.

19 Hattah Lakes variability in operation

20 Koondrook Perricoota Channel from Torrumbarry Weir Levees and regulators to manage outflows Return flows to River Murray and / or Wakool river EIA underway complete early 2010

21 Gunbower forest Multiple options tested Gunbower creek most realistic Challenge is sharing with irrigation demand and environmental issues on Gunbower creek 4700 Ha of inundation 1650 ML/day peak inflow

22 Future challenges Operations Risk management Prioritising Scheduling Not a fixed environment Antecedent conditions will be critical Whole of ecosystem approach Most likely will be sub optimal for most species Optimal for the whole ecosystem Icon site by Icon site assessment

23 The dream!