Water that is allocated and managed specifically to improve the health of rivers, wetlands and floodplains is known as water for the environment.
Our environmental water management teams work with local communities, Aboriginal representatives, partner agencies, and other stakeholders to develop detailed annual plans for the use of water for the environment in each catchment, including how its use is prioritised.
Water for rivers and wetlands
Following wet years in 2021 and 2022, in 2023–24 the Border Rivers catchment experienced moderate rainfall and river flows. Moderate flows and variable natural tributary contributions were observed downstream of the Pindari and Glenlyon dams during spring through to summer.
Flow records show that despite recent wet years, environmental water requirement targets haven’t been met due to previous dry years. For example, a small fresh occurred in 2023–24 in the Barwon River at Mungindi and the Severn River at Ashford; however, the annual requirements have not been met over the last 10 years because small freshes were absent in previous drought years .
Similarly, large freshes have not occurred often enough to optimise fish outcomes.
With healthy account balances as of 1 July 2024, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (the department) may set aside water for use in future years to support the longer-term resilience of the catchment through drier times.
Partnering with Aboriginal peoples
Water for Country is environmental water use planned by the department and Aboriginal people to achieve shared benefits for the environment and cultural places, values and/or interests.
Water managers aim to develop relationships with Traditional Owners and representatives throughout the Border Rivers catchment to:
- discuss, where willing, important water-dependent cultural sites that may benefit from environmental water
- discuss the best use of environmental water from the Pindari Stimulus Flow account
- commence work on the review and update of the Border Rivers Long-Term Water Plan.
Weather and water forecast
As of June 2024, the El Niño–Southern Oscillation outlook is neutral. That is, neither La Niña nor El Niño conditions are favoured as oceanic and atmospheric indicators have returned to neutral levels. International climate models suggest neutral El Niño–Southern Oscillation conditions will persist through the southern winter, but there are some signs that La Niña conditions could form later in the 2024–25 water year. Water managers have prepared watering plans that consider a range of weather and water availability scenarios. This is known as resource availability scenario planning.
Resource availability scenario
This table provides details about how we plan for different resource availability scenarios. Dry to moderate conditions are forecast for the Border Rivers catchment in 2024–25, which means water availability planning will follow the ‘dry’ and ‘moderate’ scenarios.
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Very dryMain aim: protect - avoid critical loss |
Current forecast |
DryMain aim: maintain - maintain river functioning |
ModerateMain aim: recover - improve ecological health and resilience |
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Wet to very wetMain aim: Enhance |
Key planned actions
Native fish
Water managers may use water for the environment to support native fish movement, breeding and recruitment outcomes in the Dumaresq River downstream of Glenlyon Dam and in the Severn and Macintyre rivers downstream of Pindari Dam.
If used, the Pindari Stimulus flow would most likely occur in spring as a small fresh event at Ashford. This would benefit native fish breeding, recruitment and dispersal.
Baseflow events provide fish with an opportunity for movement and population mixing.
Connectivity
Held water for the environment may be used to provide a low connection flow along the Dumaresq and Macintyre–Barwon system to replenish and refresh pools.
If moderate-sized natural events occur, water for the environment may be delivered to extend the duration of these events and the distance this water will reach downstream. Held water for the environment may be released to increase the peak flow rate to inundate higher benches and low anabranches and their connected wetlands.
If larger natural events occur, the use of NSW’s held supplementary and Queensland’s unsupplemented licences can retain a proportion of these flows instream.
Vegetation
The flows delivered under the connectivity and native fish actions will be managed to maximise benefits to riparian and aquatic vegetation.
Map of proposed annual priority targets in the water resource plan area 2024–25
