Winter water boost for Goulburn River plants, wildlife

Water for the environment will be delivered into the Goulburn River this month to sustain the health of the waterway. Known as a winter fresh, water will be released from Lake Eildon that will increase the height of the river for about four weeks. Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority environmental water manager Simon Casanelia said the fresh will replicate what would have occurred naturally in the river during winter, prior to regulation, but at a smaller scale. “Even in dry conditions, it’s important to provide water to keep the river and its dependent plants and animals healthy and resilient,” Mr Casanelia said. “The winter fresh will help the entire food chain by depositing seed-rich sediment on the banks, promoting the growth of bank-stabilising plants. "It will move sediment from the riverbed, creating diverse habitat for native fish and water bugs. “Higher water levels will also provide an important nesting cue for platypus to build and utilise higher nests on the riverbank. "Adjacent wetlands and anabranches, which are currently separated, will be connected by the water delivery, providing habitat for animals.” Water for the environment is water allocated and managed to improve the health of rivers, wetlands and floodplains. Use is adapted based on climatic conditions, water availability and ecological needs. The winter fresh will begin around 11 July and will flow through Alexandra, Molesworth, Seymour, Nagambie, Murchison, and Shepparton and will eventually flow into the Murray River near Echuca. It will provide the Gunbower Forest and lower Murray River wetlands and floodplains with a much-needed drink. The fresh will peak downstream of the Goulburn Weir in late July at approximately 9,500ML/day (a river height of 5.6m at Shepparton) before slowly dropping back to approximately 1,000ML/day (a river height of 2.7m at Shepparton) in mid-August. The peak is well below the minor flood levels (9.5m at Shepparton). Timing of the fresh may change depending on G-MW operational requirements, and in the event of heavy rain, environmental water releases will be reduced or stopped. Between now and spring smaller variable deliveries above base flows will be considered, based on conditions and ecological need. Environmental flows are planned by the Goulburn Broken CMA in consultation with the local community, river ecologists, Goulburn-Murray Water, the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH), the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and the Murray Darling Basin Authority. This flow complements other management activities undertaken over the past decade to improve the health of the Goulburn River including fencing, weed control, revegetation and returning logs to rivers (re-snagging) for fish and bug habitat. The impact of the water delivery on vegetation, bank condition, fish, and waterbugs will be measured as part of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder’s Monitoring Evaluation and Research (Flow-MER) project. The flows are authorised by the VEWH in line with its Seasonal Watering Plan 2025-26.

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