Basin-wide environmental watering

Basin-wide environmental watering strategy

The Basin-wide environmental watering strategy sets out the long-term whole-of-system outcomes that are expected under the Basin Plan. The strategy also describes how governments and communities can work together to achieve these outcomes.

The outcomes set out in the Basin-wide strategy will be used to evaluate success and help improve the way environmental water is managed. The strategy will also be reviewed over time to respond to new knowledge and changing circumstances.

State long-term watering plans

To complement the Basin-wide environmental watering strategy, Basin governments are developing long-term watering plans for water resource plan areas. The long-term watering plans will guide environmental watering at a catchment scale, and complement the Basin-wide environmental watering strategy. The development of long-term watering plans represents the next important step in improving coordination of environmental water management.

During 2015–16, long-term watering plans were prepared by South Australia, Victoria and Queensland, covering the South Australian River Murray, all of northern Victoria, and the Paroo, Warrego and Nebine catchments in Queensland, respectively. New South Wales began work on long-term watering plans for the Gwydir and Macquarie-Castlereagh water resource plan areas, and the Australian Capital Territory also undertook preparatory work on its long-term watering plan.

Preparing annual watering priorities

Each year the MDBA collaborates with the Australian Government and state environmental water managers to prepare Basin-wide annual environmental watering priorities. The purpose of the annual priorities is to help water managers to make decisions about delivering environmental water and guide better outcomes at the Basin scale.

The priorities are set taking into account recent seasonal conditions, past outcomes of watering actions, likely water availability and each state’s watering priorities. The priorities are also guided by the objectives of the Basin-wide environmental watering strategy.

Each year the MDBA improves how the priorities are prepared, in response to new knowledge and adaptive management. During 2015–16, the MDBA improved how it determines the resource availability scenario (a combination of the need for water and its availability) by using more rigorous data about catchment condition. Work has also commenced to assess whether multi-year priorities could help to achieve the Basin outcomes. The MDBA is also working to identify scenarios where environmental outcomes may also result in complementary social and economic outcomes.

During 2015–16, discussions began with the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations and the Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations on how the MDBA can integrate Aboriginal perspectives on environmental watering into
the annual environmental watering priorities over time. This work will continue to occur in
the 2016–17 water year.

Local input to environmental watering

Water holders and managers are increasingly drawing on the knowledge of local communities to identify watering priorities and improve the outcomes of environmental watering. Local people are also assisting with monitoring the effects of watering.

Figure 13: Environmental watering in 2015–16 to meet Basin-wide priorities

One example of this can be found in the Tar-Ru Lands near Wentworth, NSW. In 2015–16, 1 GL was delivered to the Carrs, Capitts and Bunberoo Creeks system and wetlands on Tar-Ru Lands through a collaborative effort between the Tar-Ru Lands Board of Management representing the Maraura Barkindji people, the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, Murray–Darling Wetlands Working Group, New South Wales and South Australian state agencies, Moorna Station and the Nature Conservancy.

This was the first environmental watering of this system in a decade and it helped to build local experience in managing environmental watering. This watering is expected to help increase the population and health of waterbirds, the southern bell frog and river red gums. The local Aboriginal community are involved in helping to monitor the environmental outcomes of the water event, including for plant species of cultural significance.

Basin watering priorities in 2015–16

There were 11 priorities for 2015–16, including four Basin-wide priorities, that included flow variability and longitudinal connectivity, as well as seven specific priorities, see Figure 13.