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Latest information about where, when and why environmental water may be delivered to the Ovens system and the environmental objectives being targeted is available in this year’s seasonal watering plan.
The seasonal watering plan also contains information about how environmental flows could support cultural, social, recreational and economic values in the Ovens system.
Watering data for the Ovens system and the wider northern region is updated quarterly. Visit current watering releases to find out more.
To find out the current environmental water entitlements held by the VEWH in the Ovens system visit our water holdings.
Waterway manager
North East Catchment Management Authority
Storage manager
Environmental Water Holder
Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
Traditional Owners
Taungurung Land and Waters Council (TLaWC) has a Recognition and Settlement Agreement with the Victorian Government and is the statutory authority for the management of Aboriginal heritage values and culture, under the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006.
Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation (YYNAC) has a Recognition and Settlement Agreement with the Victorian Government and is the statutory authority for the management of Aboriginal heritage values and culture, under the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006.
The Ovens system is also an area of significance to the Bangarang, Dhuduroa and Waywurru people.
System overview
The Ovens River rises in the steep, forested mountains of the Great Dividing Range near Mount Hotham and flows about 150 km to join the Murray River in the backwaters of Lake Mulwala. The system has two small water storages: Lake Buffalo on the Buffalo River and Lake William Hovell on the King River. The regulated reaches of the Ovens system include the Buffalo and King rivers below these storages and the Ovens River from its confluence with the Buffalo River to the Murray River.
As its storages are small and spill regularly, the Ovens system maintains a large proportion of its natural flow regime, particularly in winter/spring. However, the storages and licensed water extractions throughout the system can restrict the flow in drier years, and parts of the system can become flow-stressed during summer and autumn.
The Ovens River flows into Lake Mulwala on the Murray River; the lake is the largest weir pool on the Murray regulated system. The Ovens River’s flow contributes to the reliability and variability of the flow in the Murray River and supports many downstream uses, including irrigation, urban supply and watering of iconic floodplain sites (such as Barmah Forest).
Water for the environment is held in Lake Buffalo and Lake William Hovell and can be released when the storages are not spilling. Five reaches in the Ovens system can benefit from releases of water for the environment. While all are important, a relatively small volume (123 ML) of water is available, and it is insufficient to meet most environmental flow objectives. In recent years, private landowners have donated some of their annual water allocations to the VEWH to use in the King River. The Taungurung Land and Waters Council has also transferred their annual allocation to the VEWH to be delivered to the King River to heal Country.
The water transfers are used selectively to deliver the greatest possible environmental benefit. Water for the environment is most commonly used in the Ovens system to deliver critical flow events in reaches immediately below the two main storages, or it is used in conjunction with operational water releases to influence the flows of the Buffalo River and the lower Ovens River. It may also be used to top up Mullinmur Wetland in Wangaratta.
Environmental values
The diverse aquatic habitat and abundant food resources associated with the Ovens system support many native fish species, including Murray cod, trout cod, golden perch and unspecked hardyhead. The Buffalo River provides valuable habitat for large-bodied fish species during part of their breeding cycle, while trout cod have an extensive range within the system and are found as far up the King River as Whitfield. A project to recover trout cod populations in the Ovens system has been successful, and efforts to reintroduce the endangered Macquarie perch are continuing with promising results. Macquarie perch recruitment has been observed through recent surveys by the Arthur Rylah Institute (ARI) on the Ovens River, with fish captured up the Buffalo and King rivers and downstream as far as Peechelba in 2023. In January 2024, the Victorian Fisheries Authority banned the take of Macquarie perch across Victoria to protect their population.
The lower Ovens wetland complex contains over 1,800 wetlands. It is listed as nationally significant and is home to various waterbirds, including egrets, herons, cormorants and bitterns. The streamside zones of river channels throughout the Ovens system support some of Victoria’s healthiest river red gum forests and woodlands, while the wetlands support various aquatic and semi-aquatic vegetation communities.
Water for the environment was delivered to Mullinmur Wetland at Wangaratta for the first time in 2019-20. This site has been the focus of several environmental improvement projects recently, including carp removal, a revegetation program and the reintroduction of native fish.
Page last updated: 05/12/24