The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder has announced his decision to make water available to Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales for a multi-use environmental watering event in the River Murray.
Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder David Papps said the multi-use event would see a large volume (up to 634 GLs) of Commonwealth environmental water made available to supplement a series of environmental water flows generated by the States. It is the single largest volume of water committed by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder to date.
This series of environmental flows will occur in the Mid–Murray and Lower Murray, from Hume Dam through to the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth during winter, spring and early summer, during times of reduced competition for channel capacity and reflecting natural flow regimes. However, arrangements are contingent on agreements with State delivery partners and river operators, following community consultation.
This multi-use event is one of a number of watering actions planned by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder in partnership with Basin States. Rivers, floodplains and wetlands in the Goulburn-Broken, Murrumbidgee, Lachlan, Gwydir, and Macquarie catchments will also receive Commonwealth environmental water during 2015–16.
