 MDBA Basin News e-Letter, Issue 3, April 2010
Basin News – The Murray-Darling Basin Authority eLetter Welcome to the Murray–Darling Basin Authority monthly eLetter with reports of happenings across the Basin. Please feel free to pass this eLetter along to anybody who might be interested. If you do not wish to continue receiving this eLetter please reply to this message with “Unsubscribe” in the subject heading. To subscribe online go to www.mdba.gov.au/media_centre/mdba_eLetter/subscribe Contributions are welcome. Please send items of up to 300 words to the editor at medialiason@mdba.gov.au Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MD_Basin_Auth An online html version is available at: www.mdba.gov.au/media_centre/mdba_eletter
The Lakes have been under New South Wales Government control since March 2002. They reverted to MDBA control when their volume reached 640 GL (or 37% capacity). Chief Executive Rob Freeman said the Authority will apply the water sharing arrangements set out in the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement. He said that under the terms of the Agreement the water held in Menindee Lakes would be shared between News South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Mr Freeman said the lakes are slowly rising however the bulk of the water from the recent flooding in Queensland was still a long way upstream. “In general terms, each state will be entitled to a one-third share after we allow for storage and transmission losses, however, supply of this water must occur within the terms of the Agreement,” Mr Freeman said. “Initial estimates are that the inflows should be about 1,000 GL - possibly by the end of May. “This water will be held in the Menindee Lakes and will ensure that we start the coming water year in July in a moderately better position than we have experienced over the past few years. “It’s not a drought-breaker for the Murray-Darling but it will certainly improve the outlook for the 2010-11 water year,” Mr Freeman said. In the River Murray System irrigation allocations for 2010-11 are still highly dependent on future rainfall and system inflows. “Only if the volume of water reaching Menindee Lakes exceeds their storage capacity, will the excess water be passed downstream to the Murray and then either be captured in Lake Victoria or flow directly through to the Lower Lakes in South Australia. “At this time, it is too early to predict the precise volume that will reach Menindee Lakes. The floodwaters that originated in Queensland in early March are slowly moving across a huge area of floodplain in northern NSW. “Much of the floodwater soaks into the floodplain or evaporates and some is harvested for local use. The floodwater will take up to three months to find its way to Menindee Lakes as the Darling River falls at only 7 cms per kilometre,” Mr Freeman said. For more information on water levels in the Murray-Darling Basin go our live river information site at www.mdba.gov.au/water/live-river-data or read our latest Weekly Report of River Operations at www.mdba.gov.au/files/weeklyreports/WR100409-River-Murray-Operations-Weekly-Report-07-April-2010.pdf Water stakeholders hear expert Basin Plan update Murray-Darling Basin Authority Chair Mr Mike Taylor said the group included representatives of farming, conservation, irrigation, water management peak bodies, Regional Development, Indigenous, departmental representatives of all tiers of government, science bodies and researchers. They heard presentations from Mr Taylor, Chief Executive Rob Freeman and the other members of the Authority board Dianne Davidson, Dr Diana Day, David Green and Professor Barry Hart. Mr Taylor said the forum built on the extensive and intensive public consultation work the Authority had undertaken over the past year. The Authority is developing the first ever Basin wide plan to sustainably manage surface water and groundwater resources throughout Australia’s food and fibre bowl. A proposed (draft) plan will be released for public discussion later this year and the final will go to the Commonwealth Government in 2011. Mr Taylor said one of the topics discussed at the forum was how the Authority would calculate overall environmental water needs for the Basin Plan. Delegates heard that the Authority would use the environmental water requirements of the Basin’s key ecosystem functions and 18 of the Basin’s key environmental assets (listed below) to provide vital information for modelling sustainable diversion limits (SDLs). “The SDLs are the limits on the quantities of surface water and groundwater that can be taken from the Basin water resources taking into account environmental water requirements and a social and economic analysis,” Mr Taylor said. “The 18 key environmental assets are large, with a wide range of habitat types and significant water requirements and provide much crucial data for our modelling. “When combined with the water required to maintain the key ecosystem functions that shape the Basin’s unique aquatic ecosystems, this approach provides a robust means of calculating the environmental water requirements of the Basin. “The assessment of the overall water requirements of the Basin is central to the success of the Basin Plan. It is through these that we will be able to approach the issue of establishing long term environmentally sustainable diversion limits across the Basin. “However, it is important to appreciate that how the overall environmental water requirements of the Basin will be managed is yet to be determined. This will be set out in the Environmental Watering Plan, as part of the proposed Basin Plan.” The Authority also released a report which summarises the approach used and lists the 18 indicator environmental assets. (A copy is available at www.mdba.gov.au). “We are making the report public to help all those groups and individuals throughout the Basin to prepare for their feedback to the draft Plan after its release later this year,” Mr Taylor said. “We hope this information will help to put some important aspects of the Plan into context and help stakeholders to start thinking about the process. “I would caution anyone from inferring the scale of reductions in future water availability from this information. We still need to do a lot of analysis and complex hydrological modelling,” Mr Taylor said. The 18 ‘indicator’ assets are:
A copy of Assessing Environmental Water Needs of the Basin is available at www.mdba.gov.au Lock 8 weir pool lowered for Mulcra Island environmental works Lock 8 weir pool is on the River Murray about 50 km west of Wentworth , near the South Australian border. The level will be gradually lowered 30 cm below full supply level, starting in the next few days and, depending on the construction work, is likely to remain lower for a couple of months. River pumpers, boat operators and other river users in the Lock 8 weir pool are advised to take these changing water levels into account and make any necessary adjustments to their river activities. The Mulcra Island Environmental Flows Project involves the installation of a large environmental regulator on Potterwalkagee Creek and four smaller regulators. The works proposed for Mulcra Island under The Living Murray program will improve the health of the Potterwalkagee Creek, and the Mulcra Island floodplain, providing habitat for waterbirds, fish and frogs and watering stressed river redgums. The works will increase the frequency and area of flooding on the island’s floodplain and wetlands by diverting environmental water from the Murray River at Lock 8 through the Potterwalkagee Creek. The water will be ponded behind the environmental regulators for several months to water the floodplain vegetation. Most of the water will then return to the Murray River downstream of Lock 8. The Living Murray is a joint initiative funded by the New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian, Australian Capital Territory and the Commonwealth governments, coordinated by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority. The Authority will issue further advice if there are significant changes to this plan. For more information see http://www.mdba.gov.au/services/publications/more-information?publicationid=53 Managing Basin water quality and salinity – new fact sheet The quality of water in the Basin’s watercourses, lakes, wetlands, groundwater and water dependent ecosystems is fundamental to the long-term health and sustainability of the Basin and all its communities. The plan aims to project and enhance water quality and salinity levels to meet environmental, social, economic and cultural values of Basin water resources. It will focus on water used for aquatic ecosystems, drinking supplies, irrigation water and recreation. The plan will include:
The fact sheet is available at www.mdba.gov.au/services/publications or for a hard copy phone 1800 230 067 (free), or write to us at GPO Box 1801, Canberra ACT 2601. All red alerts removed for the Murray River The latest sampling results show that algal cell numbers have declined at all sampling sites along the Murray River. This means that the ‘red alert’ can be lifted completely for all sections of the Murray River. RACC spokesperson, Owen Russell, said that the lesser ‘amber alert’ now exists for the entire stretch of Murray River from Hume Reservoir to Wentworth. “An amber alert means that the waters are safe for all recreational uses such as swimming, water skiing and fishing,” he said. Mr Russell said that the ‘red alert’ that existed for the Murray River from Mildura to Yelta had declined quickly. “The blooms experienced in the lower sections of the river from Euston-Robinvale to Wentworth dissipated very quickly.” NSW Office of Water’s Bruce Cooper, said that the 2010 bloom had started earlier in the year than the 2009 bloom, both of which lasted approximately six weeks. “There were a number of factors that caused this bloom including low flows and warm humid weather,” said Mr Cooper. “The RACC partners generally sample for four potentially toxic species of blue-green algae that are commonly found in the inland river systems, plus several others that are much less common.” “The presence of algal blooms during the warmer months is a natural occurrence; however, the two consecutive regional blooms in the Murray have been concerning, and undoubtedly influenced by the ongoing drought in the southern basin,” he said. Mr Cooper said that algal monitoring would be scaled back now that the cooler weather was approaching. The latest information will continue to be available by calling the free Algal Information Hotline on 1800 999 457 or by visiting www.water.nsw.gov.au Conference to look at sustaining Basin communities The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is one of the conference sponsors and will have a booth at the conference where people can obtain information on the development of the Basin plan and other issues. Organisers say severe, ongoing drought, significant changes in government policy especially those relating to water and carbon and the mineral resources boom are issues which have the potential to change the face of rural communities forever. The three-day program will focus on the following three themes:
Organisers expect the conference to attract up to 600 delegates from around Australia, including representatives from all agricultural industries, along with a number of delegates from government and industries such as mining, manufacturing, finance, tourism, transport, science, education and health. All sessions will be open to the general public. For more information go to http://web.cotton.crc.org.au/content/Communities/Cotton_Info/Sustaining_Rural_Communities_Conference.aspx More opportunities to provide input into the proposed Basin Plan Authority staff will be able to provide information on the developing Basin Plan and other Basin issues. The sessions are part of a program of regional visits by representatives of the organising agency – the Commonwealth Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. The Department will be providing information on the programs and policies of the Commonwealth government’s Water for the Future program. The April sessions will be held as follows (all 2.00 pm to 5.30 pm):
The format of the sessions will include a general presentation followed by questions and answers. Then the session will be broken into groups to discuss topics of interest which could include the Basin Plan, water purchasing, drought assistance, environmental watering and infrastructure upgrades. To register your interest in attending these session and to identify the issues of most interest to you, call 1800 218 478 or email waterinformation@environment.gov.au. To be advised of engagement opportunities and new publications as they are released please let us know at engagement@mdba.gov.au and we will add you to our engagement email distribution list. For more information on future MDBA meetings or to provide feedback please go to www.mdba.gov.au/communities/meetings-events Young scholars check out Murray ecology This annual School receives support from a number of sponsors including the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, La Trobe University, Charles Sturt University and Norske Skog (Albury Mill). The 2010 program was launched at the Scots Cultural Centre, The Scots School Albury on Tuesday 6 April, with a welcome event for students followed by a five-day residential camp. Professor Allan Curtis (Professor of Integrated Environmental Management within the Institute for Land, Water and Society at Charles Sturt University) opened the School speaking on “Water Management through a Social Science Lens” which will examine the case for including social research in integrated approaches to providing the science to underpin management of surface and groundwater in the Murray-Darling Basin. The live-in experience provides a great opportunity for students to meet their peers throughout the Murray-Darling Basin, gain valuable insights into freshwater ecological studies at Wonga Wetlands, and be exposed to subject areas they have not previously encountered at school. Eight mentors completing their Master of Teaching P-12 at La Trobe University Albury-Wodonga campus, helped supervise the students and guide their RMDSFR experience. Activities included touring campuses, field sampling and reporting. For more information go to: www.mdfrc.org.au Using Basin environmental issues for educational results The Authority’s Special Forever program runs in conjunction with e:lit (formerly the Primary English Teaching Association), uses Basin environmental issues to achieve literacy and numeracy outcomes at hundreds of primary schools throughout the Basin. It is now in its 18th year. The program culminates each year in an anthology of students’ writing and art. At the recent conference, teacher coordinators brainstormed ideas and participated in a number of information sessions and activities, including:
The teachers also heard more on the MDBA perspective this year, with presentations MDBA objectives, river operations, and the threat of acid sulfate soils. Special Forever enables students learn about the environment in which they live, engage with their environment and share feelings, opinions, actions, knowledge and understandings with others. For more information go to www.specialforever.org.au Modelling the Basin’ s ecosystems Published by CSIRO, Ecosystem Response Modelling in the Murray-Darling Basin, was edited by CSIRO’s Neil Saintilan, NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water and Ian Overton, CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country National Research Flagship. The publication is a compilation of papers presented at a workshop last year run by CSIRO and NSW DECC and included sponsorship from Murray-Darling Basin Authority. It introduces the issues in ecosystem response modelling and how this area of science can support environmental watering decisions. In the Southern Murray-Darling Basin, the River Murray, the Murrumbidgee River and their associated wetlands and floodplains have been the focus of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s Living Murray program, and the NSW Rivers Environmental Restoration Program. The book documents research aimed at informing environmental water use in a number of iconic wetlands including those along the Murray – the Barmah-Millewa Forest; the Chowilla Floodplain and Lindsay-Wallpolla Islands; the Coorong and Murray mouth; and the Murrumbidgee – the Lowbidgee Floodplain. Within the Northern Murray-Darling Basin, research conducted in support of the Wetland Recovery Plan and the NSW Rivers Environmental Restoration Program has improved our knowledge of the Gwydir Wetlands and the Macquarie Marshes, and the water regimes required to sustain their ecology. For more information go to www.publish.csiro.au/nid/23/pid/6350.htm Entries open for Eureka Prize for Water Research and Innovation It’s sponsored by the National Water Commission and entries close midnight AEST Friday 7 May 2010. For more information on this prize, including how to enter go to: http://eureka.australianmuseum.net.au/eureka-prize/water-research-and-innovation3 or email eureka@austmus.gov.au |
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