Map of the Murray-Darling Baaka catchment showing waterways, wetlands and locations of water for the environment deliveries made in 2020-21.

The annual objectives for the use of water for the environment are driven by the ecological objectives and targets outlined in the Murray–Lower Darling Baaka Long-Term Water Plan.

Water managers represented the NSW Government on the Southern Connected Basin Environmental Water Committee to deliver water strategically throughout the river system and provide for the year-round needs of native plants and animals. With advice from the Murray–Lower Darling Baaka Environmental Water Advisory Group, the department also delivered NSW Adaptive Environmental Water and the Murray Additional Allowance to several sites across the NSW Murray River catchment.

These watering events aimed to:

  • connect the floodplain wetlands with the river, providing opportunities for native fish to feed, breed and move
  • release essential nutrients from the floodplain floor to boost the aquatic food web
  • encourage the ongoing recovery of wetland plants to provide habitat, feeding and breeding opportunities for wetland-dependent animals
  • provide foraging opportunities for waterbirds
  • replenish wetland refuges in anticipation of dry times in the future.

The watering aims identified in the Murray and Lower Darling catchments: Annual environmental watering priorities 2020–21 were largely implemented as proposed under the very dry to dry conditions.

This bar chart and table provide a summary of 237,497 megalitres of water for the environment delivered in the Murray–Lower Darling catchment during the 2020–21 watering year. Volumes are indicative only. Watering event numbers in the bar chart and table relate to location numbers marked on the map.

Bar chart showing water delivery to the Murray-Darling catchment in the 2020-21 water year.

Watering event number Location Outcomes Start
date 		Finish
date
1 River Murray multi-site Native fish icon Waterbird icon Native vegetation icon Connectivity and water flow icon 11 Sep 2020
28 May 2021		 18 Dec 2020
17Jun 2021
2 Millewa Forest Native fish icon Waterbird icon Native vegetation icon Connectivity and water flow icon 14 Aug 2020 12 Oct 2020
3 Tuppal Creek Native fish icon Native vegetation icon Connectivity and water flow icon 02 Sep 2020 01 Apr 2021
4 Lower Murray Baaka wetlands Waterbird iconNative vegetation icon 03 Sep 2020 13 Sep 2020
5 Thule Creek Native fish iconWaterbird iconNative vegetation icon 06 Sep 2020 03 Apr 2021
6 The Pollack Native fish iconWaterbird iconNative vegetation icon 07 Sep 2020 01 Mar 2021
7 Cockrans-Jimaringle creeks Native fish iconWaterbird iconNative vegetation icon 07 Sep 2020 24 May 2021
8 Buccaneit–Cinninyeuk Native fish icon Native vegetation icon 14 Sep 2020 05 Apr 2021
9 Lower Darling Baaka spring–summer flows Native fish icon 15 Sep 2020 16 Jan 2021
10 Gulpa Creek wetlands
 Native fish iconWaterbird iconNative vegetation icon 01 Oct 20209 31 Jan 2021
11 Murrain–Yarrein creeks Native fish icon Native vegetation icon 20 Oct 2020 03 Nov 2020
12 Lake Agnes
 Waterbird iconNative vegetation icon 17 Mar 2021 03 May 2021
13 Fletchers Creek Waterbird icon Native vegetation icon 01 Apr 2021 08 Apr 2021
14 Grand Junction Waterbird iconNative vegetation icon 10 Apr 2021 27 May 2021
15 Yarrein Creek Native fish iconNative vegetation icon 14 Apr 2021
 12 May 2021
16 Bottle Bend floodplain
Waterbird iconNative vegetation icon 10 Jul 2021
 15 Jul 2021
17 Lower Darling Baaka autumn–winter flows
 Native fish icon 02 May 2021  30 Jun 2021
18 Bingerra Creek top up Waterbird iconNative vegetation icon 01 May 2021 09 May 2021
19 Mid-Murray private wetlands Waterbird iconNative vegetation icon 26 May 2021 26 May 2021
20  Edward/Kolety–Wakool River system Native fish icon 26 May 2021 26 May 2021
21 Wingillie wetlands Native fish icon Native vegetation icon  07 Apr 2021  06 May 2021
22 Whymoul Creek Native fish icon  22 Jun 2021  22 Jun 2021

Notes: NSW = NSW licensed environmental water; CEW = Commonwealth licensed environmental water; EWA = Environmental water allowance accrued under the Water Sharing Plan for the NSW Murray and Lower Darling Regulated Rivers Water Sources 2016; TLM = The Living Murray; RMIF = River Murray Increased Flows; Other = Murray–Darling Wetland Working Group.

In 2020–21 water managers with the Department of Planning Industry and Environment – Environment, Energy and Science (DPIE – EES) worked collaboratively with the local community, state and commonwealth agencies, non-government organisations, First Nations groups, local irrigation corporations and private landholders to deliver positive ecological outcomes using water for the environment.

We worked with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) and partner agencies to manage a delivery of water along the Murray River from Hume Dam to the Lower Lakes in South Australia. We also partnered with the CEWH to achieve a range of environmental outcomes in the Edward–Wakool river system.

NSW and Commonwealth environmental water was delivered into private wetlands and ephemeral creeks in the mid-Murray, in collaboration with landholders and Murray Irrigation Limited to provide essential breeding habitats for the nationally threatened southern bell frog.

Planned environmental water (water for the environment allocated through the water sharing plan) was delivered into the Gulpa Creek to provide breeding habitats for the threatened Australasian bittern, Murray cod and trout cod. Monitoring funded by the Murray Darling Basin Authority through The Living Murray program reported large numbers of male Australasian bitterns calling across the Gulpa Creek Wetlands. Fish surveys by the Arthur Rylah Institute reported increased numbers of juvenile Murray cod and trout cod in the Gulpa Creek following the event.

We also partnered with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) and Southern Connected Basin Environmental Watering Committee to provide environmental flows for the Lower Baaka. Monitoring for the event was a collaboration between various agencies including DPIE – EES, Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Arthur Rylah Institute (Victoria), which was funded by the CEWH. Outcomes included:

  • longitudinal connection between the Menindee Lakes system and the Murray River
  • increased access to habitat and food for native fish
  • encouraged breeding, especially Murray cod, and movement of native fish including juvenile golden perch from Menindee Lakes into the Lower Baaka
  • improved water quality.

Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus)

Flows for fish and Australasian bitterns

Water for the environment was delivered into Gulpa Creek and the Barmah–Millewa Forest icon site from early September 2020 to January 2021 to provide breeding conditions for the nationally threatened Australasian bittern, Murray cod and trout cod.

Australasian bitterns and Murray cod are culturally significant to local First Nations groups and both animals feature in their dreaming stories. Kevin Atkinson, chair of the Cummeragunja Local Aboriginal Land Council board and proud Moiradu Bangerang man, said the Australasian bittern is synonymous with the bunyip dreaming story due to their strange booming call, and Murray cod and trout cod were an important part of Aboriginal peoples diets when native fish were plentiful.

“We are very sad to see the demise of these animals but heartened to know that environmental water is being used to support their recovery,” said Atkinson.

Flows into the Gulpa Creek were designed to ensure the timing, duration and magnitude were sufficient for Australasian bitterns and native fish to breed successfully.

First Nations groups and the Edward–Wakool Angling Association attended an online workshop to help plan the event.

The water used for the event included 5690 megalitres of NSW Murray Additional Allowance. The Gulpa Creek event was also incorporated into the Murray River multi-site (Hume to South Australia) event.

Monitoring detected 44 male Australasian bitterns (and 29 little bitterns) calling at wetland sites within Barmah–Millewa Forest. Seventeen of the 44 bitterns were located in the Gulpa Creek wetlands.

Native fish population surveys were conducted by Arthur Rylah Institute in the Barmah–Millewa Forest. There was a strong indication that Murray cod and trout cod are beginning to rebuild populations from natural recruitment in the local region, particularly in Gulpa Creek. More Murray cod were collected in 2021 than in previous years. This increase was most evident in Gulpa Creek, with a relatively high abundance of juvenile native fish.