Reflections - environmental watering in Victoria 2011-12

The Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) took a moment to reflect on 2011-12 today, with the release of Reflections – environmental watering in Victoria 2011-12.

The Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) took a moment to reflect on 2011-12 today, with the release of Reflections – environmental watering in Victoria 2011-12.

Reflections is the VEWH's first annual watering booklet looking back on Victoria's environmental watering program, highlighting the achievements and learning of 2011-12.

Denis Flett, VEWH Chairperson explains that Reflections tells the stories of environmental watering in 19 systems across Victoria.

"Each chapter includes an interview with a catchment management authority or Melbourne Water representative, which provides a unique and personal look at environmental watering in each system," Denis said.

"Reflections provides us with the chance to look back at the environmental watering achievements of 2011-12, which included providing environmental water to a wetland in dire need of water, minimising the impact of blackwater, and making the first managed environmental release in the Yarra system."

In the VEWH's first year of operation, the focus was on building relationships with key partners to make sure the best environmental outcomes could be achieved for Victoria's rivers, wetlands and floodplains.

"These relationships, combined with average to wet conditions throughout Victoria, led to over 516,000 ML of water being delivered to 35 river reaches and 10 wetlands. This allowed many systems to continue their road to environmental recovery after more than a decade of the most severe drought in recorded history."

"These impressive figures would not have been achieved without the hard work of waterway managers, storage operators, other water holders and land managers in planning and delivering environmental water throughout Victoria. The partnerships that have developed are invaluable to the environmental watering program, leading to achievements that would otherwise not be possible," he said.

Reflections – environmental watering in Victoria 2011-12 is available for download from the Resource Library section of the VEWH website, or by contacting the VEWH on (03) 9637 8951.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) has also released Environmental Watering in Victoria 2010-11 which details the dramatic changes to Victoria's waterways in the year the drought broke. The DSE booklet outlines the different challenges and greater opportunities in a year where rainfall filled wetlands to capacity and generated natural high flows in river systems after 13 years of drought. It can be downloaded from the DSE Water website.

The VEWH manages Victoria's environmental Water Holdings, in cooperation with partners, to improve the health of rivers, wetlands and floodplains. DSE managed the Victorian environmental watering program before the establishment of the VEWH in 2011.