Environmental Works and Measures

The Living Murray Environmental Works and Measures Program aims to improve the health of the River Murray system by making the best use of water for the environment. The program funds infrastructure to deliver and manage water at the icon sites to achieve The Living Murray First Step environmental objectives. This infrastructure includes regulating structures, water delivery channels and fishways. The program will cost approximately $275 million and focuses on achieving environmental outcomes at the six The Living Murray icon sites.

What has been achieved?

The most significant achievement of the program has been the development of major works proposals to enable large-scale environmental watering at three of the icon sites. Development of these works proposals has involved detailed investigations, feasibility studies, hydraulic modelling and engineering design. They will be the largest on-ground wetland and floodplain restoration projects in Australia.  These projects are discussed in more detail under What is being planned?

As part of the Sea to Hume Fishway program, fishways have been completed at 8 of the 14 weirs along the River Murray, and at the Tauwitchere and Goolwa barrages.  More than 3,500 snags have been reinstated for fish habitat.

At the Chowilla Lindsay-Wallpolla icon site regulators to manage environmental water have been constructed at Lake Wallawalla, Horseshoe Lagoon, Websters Lagoon and at Bank E.  Mobile pumps have been purchased to enable wetland watering.

At the Gunbower–Koondrook–Perricoota icon site a regulator has been built on Little Gunbower Creek, and the Barmah Cut and Shillinglaws regulators have been upgraded to manage environmental flows.

What is being planned?

The main focus of the Environmental Works and Measures Program is the construction of major infrastructure that will enable the large-scale watering of over 37,000 ha of forests and wetlands across three icon sites. These works include:

Gunbower–Koondrook–Perricoota

• Gunbower Forest
  • the upgrade of Hipwells Road channel and the construction of associated regulators to supply environmental water to the forest.
• Koondrook–Perricoota Forest
  • channels from Torrumbarry weir into the forest to deliver environmental flows
  • regulators and levees to control flooding within the forests
• Further information
  • Map 1 of proposed works at Gunbower-Koondrook-Perricoota
  • Map 2 of proposed works at Gunbower-Koondrook-Perricoota
  • Works at Koondrook-Perricoota
  • Koondrook-Perricoota Project Website

Hattah Lakes

• Hattah Lakes
  • a pumping station to supplement natural flows from the River Murray into the lakes
  • three regulators and three levees to manage flows within the lakes
  • excavation of small sections of the natural creek beds to increase the frequency of natural inflows
• Further information
  • Map of proposed works at Hattah Lakes
  • Environmental Regulators

Chowilla Lindsay–Wallpolla

• Chowilla Floodplain
  • a large regulator on Chowilla Creek to push water into wetlands and onto floodplains across the Chowilla anabranch system
  • smaller secondary regulators to control flows into and out of the anabranch system
  • fishways to provide fish passage into and out of the anabranch system
• Lindsay–Wallpolla Floodplain and Islands
  • a regulator on Potterwalkagee Creek to push water into wetlands and onto floodplains across the Mulcra Island system
  • smaller secondary regulators to control flows into and out of the anabranch system
• Further information
  • Map of proposed works at Chowilla
  • Map of proposed works at Mulcra
  • Maps of proposed works at Lindsay
  • Map of proposed works at Wallpolla
  • Mulcra Island - Restoring the Balance
  • Environmental Regulators

These proposed works enable watering of the wetland and floodplain ecosystems using regulated supplies of environmental water and without reliance on flood flows in the River Murray. The operation of the proposed works can be adapted to a wide range of conditions and water availability, and they will enable very efficient use of the available environmental water. This will be particularly important in the future under potential climate change conditions.

In addition to the wetland and floodplain watering projects, the program is funding the completion of the Sea to Hume Fishway program. This includes construction of an additional six fishways on weirs along the River Murray, the construction of two fishways on the Edward River in NSW, and the construction of one additional fishway on the Tauwitchere barrage.

• Map of proposed fishways

In the most part, these projects are in the advanced stages of development. Construction of some of the fishways is underway, whilst the first of the other projects is likely to commence in late 2009. All of the proposed works are expected to be completed by the end of 2012. 

Links to The Living Murray’s other programs

Water Recovery

Environmental Delivery

Environmental Monitoring

Communication and Community Consultation

Further information

Icon sites

Barmah Choke Study