| Murray-Darling Basin Commission – March 2007, E-letter No 64 Welcome to the Murray-Darling Basin monthly e-letter with reports of happenings across the Basin. Contributions are welcome. Please send items (no more than 150 words) to the editor at http://www.mdba.gov.au/contact Please feel free to pass this e-letter along to anybody who might be interested. To subscribe online go to http://mdbc.gov.au/communications/s-scribe This newsletter currently has 1200 subscribers. (See also The Living Murray website at www.thelivingmurray.mdbc.gov.au)
The report “State of the Darling Hydrology Report” prepared by consultants Webb, McKeown and Associates Pty Ltd, gives an overview of the natural hydrology of the Darling Basin, the development that has occurred and the effect this is having on river flows and groundwater resources. “The report is based on existing data and hydrological modelling from State agencies, with the most recent data being three years old,” MDBC Chief Executive Dr Wendy Craik said. “So it confirms long-term averages, rather than yearly usage, while still giving us a useful overall picture of the Basin’s water situation and trends. “The report found that the impact of water infrastructure and extraction of water on river flows in the Basin have resulted in lower flows, loss of flood events, drying wetlands and fish migration problems. “The authors note that flows in the Darling and its tributary rivers are much smaller and more variable than flows in the Murray and its tributaries. This is because the Darling Basin is twice the size of the Murray Basin, it drains a much more arid area and a large part of the flow in the Darling’s tributary rivers finishes up in terminal wetland areas,” Dr Craik said. Accoridng to the report large-scale water infrastructure development since the 1960s has resulted in major dams in the headwaters of all major NSW tributaries, and the Border Rivers. These dams control about 30 per cent of the Basin’s flows – considerably less than is controlled by dams in the Murray. More recently, there has been major private investment in large storages on irrigation farms. The total volume of these storages now rivals that of the headwaters dams and they capture much of the water that enters the Basin’s rivers downstream of the dams. The total surface area of these shallow on-farm storages is large, and evaporation rates in the Basin are high. The result is that evaporation from them is now a major cause of loss of water from the system. “The report’s study of possible future risks from climate change and the continued use of surface and groundwater will be valuable information for future planning of the Basin’s water systems,” Dr Craik said. A copy of the report can be downloaded at http://www.mdbc.gov.au/news February wetting of Murray catchments a longterm plus “Once the catchments are wet the land absorbs less water and allows it to run off into streams, rivers and storages,” he said. Writing in the RMW’s latest Weekly Report, he said recently that thunderstorms during February brought much needed rain to many parts of the Murray Valley with most areas receiving close to average rainfall for that time of year. “Using modelled historical inflows and assuming ‘current levels of development’ over the last 115 years, the previous minimum inflow for February was 56 GL in 2003. “This is the 9th consecutive month that the inflow to the River Murray System has been at a record low. “The weather patterns experienced in the southern part of the Basin appear to be different from a year ago and show encouraging signs of further rain. For more information and a copy of the latest Weekly Report go to: http://www.mdbc.gov.au/rmw/river_information_centre Murray flows to fall below normal levels Despite the drought, the Murray has been running at normal levels until recently due to the release of stored water from Dartmouth and Hume dams. However, release from Hume has now been reduced significantly and further cuts are likely over coming weeks. River Murray Water (RMW) General Manager, David Dreverman said in a media release recently that the cuts would result in significant reductions in river levels in those river reaches not controlled by weir pools. “Such reductions would not normally be seen until the end of the irrigation season in May. Not only are the reductions earlier this year, but it’s also possible that river levels downstream of Torrumbarry Weir could fall below these normal winter minimum levels as early as late March. “The lower flows will help conserve water in Hume and Dartmouth Reservoirs for next season. This is particularly important given the extremely low storage levels currently being experienced as a result of the severe drought. Mr Dreverman also stressed “The flow reductions are not expected to significantly reduce weir pool levels before the end of the irrigation season”. However, levels in the upper reaches of weir pools are likely to be lower than normal for this time of the year as they are more dependent on the flow in the river than the pool level. “If dry conditions continue into April, river flows along the entire River Murray System are likely to be reduced to levels below the normal winter minimums. This will conserve water resources for next season,” Mr Dreverman said. “Flows will be continually reviewed and updates on changes to river levels will be announced over the coming months in the RMW Weekly Report (available on the MDBC web page) and in the future RMW Operations Updates.” Boat operators, stock owners, river pumpers and other river users are advised to take these changed water levels into account and make any necessary adjustments to their activities. To read the complete media release go to: www.mdbc.gov.au/ Native Fish Awareness Week to engage Murray communities The tour has been organised by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission’s (MDBC) Native Fish Strategy Community Stakeholder Task Force and will also involve Native Fish Strategy Coordinators from the Victorian, South Australian, Queensland and New South Wales Governments, and MDBC staff. The Community Stakeholder Task Force, which was established to help implement the Native Fish Strategy, brings together community, local government representatives, fishing, conservation, Indigenous, landholder and catchment management interests. MDBC Chief Executive Dr Wendy Craik AM said the group would spend a week visiting towns along the Murray to present talks, displays and presentations. Group members will also hear the views of the community on the status of native fish in their area and inspect projects funded by the MDBC or being undertaken by the community to restore native fish populations. “The visionary Native Fish Strategy aims to massively improve the state of the Basin’s native fish. The ultimate goal is to return native fish populations to 60 percent of their estimated pre- European settlement levels within 50 years,” Dr Craik said. “It has already been a marked success with increased community awareness of native fish issues and solid evidence that native fish are using the new innovative fishways built as a part of the Sea to Hume Dam fish passage program. “Another success has been a trial program of “resnagging” in which large tree stumps, or snags, are placed strategically into rivers. The snags provide refuge from fast-flowing water and help to recreate original river habitats for native fish.”. For more information on the Native Fish Strategy go to www.mdbc.gov.au/NFS Baby fish promise new life to the Murray Darling Rivers The release was funded by the Bundaberg Rum Bush Fund through Landcare Australia, with matching funding from the NSW Department of Primary Industries, National Action Plan for Salinity and Water quality with support from the Lower Murray-Darling Catchment Management Authority. Some fingerlings were transported by road from the Murray-Darling Fisheries at Wagga Wagga and release into the Darling River at the Wentworth Boat Ramp. The fish fingerlings have been released at their optimum peak of growth and the locations along the Murray and Darling Rivers are in line with ensuring that the risk to native fish are well managed. Chair of the Lower Murray-Darling Catchment Management Authority Mark King said the death of Murray Cod - some as old as 100 years - had caused great concern among communities along the river system. “In particular, the Darling River fish deaths in 2004 were especially devastating to a species now competing with introduced species, such as carp, and drought-related river stresses,” he said. Cape cod fingerlings were also released at Wentworth boat ramp and Pomona boat ramp with the help of the local school students and community. Another two release locations will be downstream from Weir 10 and at Fort Courage. This release complements a project funded by the LMDCMA to re-instate fish passage in the lower Darling River at Burtundy and Pooncarie. For more information go to www.lmd.cma.nsw.gov.au Busting the ‘river rabbit’ myth When the wetland at Kingston-on-Murray in SA’s Riverland was allowed to drain and dry out in mid-February, thousands of the destructive fish were left behind on the bare mudflats. South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) scientist and national carp expert, Dr Ben Smith, says some native fishes were present in the wetland, albeit in small numbers, but carp was by far the dominant fish. Dr Smith is leading a Murray-Darling Basin Commission funded project at Banrock Station, which is the first in the world to quantitatively measure and demonstrate the effects of carp on the aquatic environment and the benefits of their removal. The project is a collaboration between SARDI, the Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Council, the EPA, PIRSA Fisheries, the SA MDB NRM Board, Banrock Station and regional Local Action Planning groups. “Once the wetlands drained, the only large fish exposed were the carp. These fish stayed behind and became trapped, while the native fish took off before the wetland was emptied. “We’ve always suspected that native fish would be well adapted to drying events because historically, these riverine wetlands would have dried out every few years. “The carp actually swam into the out-flowing water, sealing their fate as they made their way even deeper into the wetlands.” Dr Smith says this adds significantly to the knowledge base scientists need to control the ‘River Rabbit’ which is estimated to cost Australia around $16 million annually in economic and environmental impacts. Much of the knowledge gained from this project will assist Dr Smith in two other projects focussed on the ecology and management of carp in South Australia. A three year Invasive Animals CRC funded project aims to develop carp separation cages suited to wetland conditions, and to evaluate sensory attractants, such as water flow, temperature gradients, and food, plant and soil odours, to increase trapping success. The second project, again funded by the MDBC, is evaluating carp exclusion screens installed at wetland inlets in SA, NSW and Victoria, to inform the development of operational standards for their future use within the Murray-Darling Basin. Dr Smith says the screens currently don’t comply with any standards, and may block the passage of native fish and fauna. For more information go to www.sardi.sa.gov.au/ Release of national water charging stocktake Chairman and CEO Ken Matthews said the stocktake was the first step in developing consistent approaches to the way water charges are set across Australia—a key objective of the National Water Initiative (NWI). “The stocktake highlights the marked differences in water charging across states and territories, with three areas in particular highlighted for further action,’ Mr Matthews said. “Approaches to recovery of capital expenditure in urban and rural water sectors, approaches to charging customers for urban water services, and approaches to identifying and recovering the costs of water planning and management were areas where significant differences were noted.” In order to address these key areas of difference, issues papers are being developed by the NWI Steering Group on Water Charging, chaired by the National Water Commission. The issues papers will provide further insight into the complexities of approaches to water charging and where further collaboration is required. “Water charging remains a contentious issue across the country and I encourage state and territory governments to work cooperatively to develop consistent approaches to water charging that uphold the principles of the NWI,” Mr Matthews said. For an executive summary and water stocktake reports addressing three key areas—rural water charging, urban water charging and water planning and management go to www.nwc.gov.au/nwi/consistency_in_water_charging.cfm Impact of climate change on agriculture studied The forum is a joint venture between NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Lower Murray Darling Catchment Management Authority. Organisers say the event will help landholders who are likely to be most affected by the impacts of climate change to be more aware of how to develop and adapt strategies that will cope with the climate change impacts that are unavoidable. The forum will be held at Edge Hotel function room, Sturt Highway, Buronga, NSW. For more information contact Susan Walla on (03) 5021 9460 or go to www.lmd.cma.nsw.gov.au Climate change: what do you know about it? The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) wants to help you find out how much (or how little) you know about the subject. And you can do it anonymously by taking the ABC’s online quizz which will ask you questions such as:
To take the quiz go to: www.abc.net.au/science/quizzes/climatechange/ Australia’s first solar-powered desalination plant announced An article in the CSIRO magazine ECOS reports that Melbourne-based Acquasol Pty Ltd has identified a 50 000-hectare site at Point Paterson, seven kilometres south of Port Augusta. The article says that combining solar energy–based power generation, desalination and commercial salt production, all integrated into a single $370 million industrial complex, the project will significantly reduce the usual greenhouse impacts associated with grid electricity demand for desalination. “The solar field will be laid out over a two-square-kilometre area with each solar mirror standing three metres tall. The captured heat will be used to create steam for electricity and desalination, with any excess heat going into thermal storage. “Initially, the desalinated seawater from the Point Paterson plant will be produced mainly for the town of Port Augusta.” Eventually, however, it will be capable of supplying water to an area bounded by Port Augusta, Whyalla and Port Pirie – an area known as the ‘Iron Triangle’. For more information go to www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=EC134p4.pdf Tackling massive erosion in Namoi catchment With advice, assistance and funding from Namoi CMA, Bubbogullion Landcare group from the Attunga/Somerton area now has a solution to the erosion problem in Limestone Gully. Chairman of Bubbogullion Landcare group, John Chaffey said “this problem hadn’t fitted into the guidelines for funding previously available from many different sources, but we have been able to work with Namoi CMA to finally attempt to save the 20-30,000 tonnes of soil that is lost annually from this 2,000 ha sub-catchment. Namoi CMA’s catchment officer, Brenda Shepherd, has worked with the group for many years and said she was delighted that the CMA was able to offer substantial funding and enter into a ten year maintenance agreement with the group. “It is an exciting outcome for these landholders who have been frustrated with a problem, that was for so long, put into the ‘too hard’ basket by others,” she said. Groups of landholders in the Namoi Catchment are encouraged to approach Namoi CMA to discuss the development of a project where the landholders have a common issue or idea such as stream bank protection, native vegetation enhancement or even training and education. If you would like to partner Namoi CMA with a project on your farm, contact your local CMA office in Tamworth on (02) 6764 5907, Quirindi (02) 6746 1344, Gunnedah (02) 6742 9220, Narrabri (02) 6799 2417 or Walgett (02) 6828 0110. For more information contact Anne Ferguson on (02) 6742 9202 or 0429-048 867 or anne.ferguson@cma.nsw.gov.au Drought assistance for ‘bigger’ small businesses announced Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Peter McGauran, said the decision widened the EC eligibility criteria from businesses employing up to 20 staff, to those with up to 100. “The drought is taking a heavy toll on small businesses that are heavily reliant on farmers, such as agricultural machinery and equipment retailers,” Mr McGauran said. “These businesses provide valuable jobs in towns across the country and are an important part of the rural economy, and this assistance will help many through these tough times. “This additional drought assistance builds on the range of other measures the Government has introduced to help rural Australia through the worst drought on record, including extending EC to all farmers, irrespective of what they produce. “We will continue to support our farmers and the businesses that rely on them throughout this drought.” Mr McGauran said the new measures would extend interest rate subsidies and income support to agricultural businesses employing up to 100 staff that derived at least 70 per cent of their income directly from farmers located in EC-declared areas. The announcement builds on the Government’s unprecedented response to this drought – a commitment of $2.3 billion in assistance. Farmers and small business operators are urged not to self-assess their eligibility for assistance or other payments and services, but to contact the National Drought Assistance Hotline on 13 23 16 to check their eligibility. For more information go to www.maff.gov.au/releases/07/07021pm.html Defeating the weed menace The Minister for Forestry and Conservation, Senator Eric Abetz, and the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull MP, recently announced $1.5 million available for this second round. “Research and development is an important component of the Australian Government’s $44.4 million Defeating the Weed Menace programme and $5.4 million of that is directly allocated to R&D,” Senator Abetz said. This is the second call for research and development project proposals under the programme. The first 14 projects, representing a Government investment of $3.1 million, began in November 2006. The Government is also investing $1.4 million in continuing research to find biological control agents for some of Australia’s worst weeds – Parkinsonia, Chilean Needle Grass, Serrated Tussock, Blackberry and Cabomba. “The Government has united the science community, natural resource management regional bodies, local communities and all levels of Government under the Defeating the Weed Menace programme,” Mr Turnbull said. For more information go to www.lwa.gov.au/Apply_for_Funding/index.aspx ends |
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