Lower Murray wetlands

Watering of the lower Murray wetlands supports values such as traditional food sources and medicines and important species, and provides opportunities for teaching, learning and storytelling.

Mallee CMA has actively sought engagement, involvement and contributions on the proposed watering program for 2020-21 from the following Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Victorians:

• First People of the Millewa-Mallee Aboriginal Corporation, comprised of Latji Latji and Ngintait (Traditional Owners from Hattah to the South Australia border)
• other Aboriginal groups who have expressed an interest in the landscapes of the lower Murray wetlands including but not limited to Wemba Wamba, Wadi Wadi, Tati Tati, Weki Weki, Munatunga Elders and the Pearce family.

Discussions covered a range of options for how environmental flows can be delivered in 2021-2022 and what the traditional ecological needs were in the current climate. Elders participated in planning and prioritisation processes on Country important to them and relationships with the Mallee CMA were strengthened. The values, knowledge and concerns raised through these discussions have supported Mallee CMA’s planning for wetland watering across the lower Murray region.

Increasing the involvement of Traditional Owners in environmental water planning and management, and ultimately providing opportunities to progress towards self-determination within and beyond the environmental watering program, is a core commitment of the VEWH and its agency partners. This is reinforced by a range of legislation and policy commitments (for example the Water Act 1989, the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework, Water for Victoria (2016)) and, in some cases, agreements under the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010.

Where Traditional Owners are more deeply involved in the planning and/or delivery of environmental flows for a particular site, their contribution is acknowledged in Table 1 with an icon. The use of this icon is not intended to indicate that these activities are meeting all the needs of Traditional Owners but is incorporated in the spirit of valuing that contribution, and indicating progress towards this objective.

Watering planned and/or delivered in partnership with Traditional Owners to support Aboriginal cultural values and uses

Robertson Creek is an area of high cultural significance that is being degraded as vegetation dies from lack of water and wind erodes the landscape. The First People of the Millewa-Mallee Aboriginal Corporation are undertaking a program of restoration and protection work at the site.

An environmental flow was delivered to the creek in spring 2020-21 to complement the protection and restoration objectives, which was the first time the creek had received water since flooding in 2016. This has resulted in an improvement in the condition of trees and nearby shrubs and helped return and protect cultural values which can be used by community for learning, teaching and increasing overall wellbeing.

An environmental flow is planned for 2021-22 in all scenarios except drought. This will build on the outcomes from the previous watering event by further improving the condition of established vegetation and increasing protection against wind erosion by supporting the revegetation of native trees, shrubs and grasses. The event will be delivered in partnership with First People of the Millewa-Mallee Aboriginal Corporation as part of the continued work to protect this significant area.

After several years of very dry conditions, rainfall and temperatures in the lower Murray region were closer to the long-term average during 2020-21. Large rain events in late winter, spring and summer helped to water some floodplain vegetation but did not lead to much surface run-off or contribute significant inflows to floodplain wetlands. Flows in the Murray River were also not sufficient to naturally connect any wetlands on the lower Murray floodplain, so all the wetland watering described below was provided with water for the environment. Water availability was met through a combination of carryover and Murray allocations (100 percent of high-reliability water shares), which provided sufficient water for the environment to meet the planned watering actions.

In 2020-21, water for the environment was delivered to seven lower Murray wetlands that were identified as a high priority under an average climate scenario. Most deliveries occurred in late spring, to maintain native vegetation and provide habitat for fish and waterbirds. Environmental flows were delivered for the first time to Margooya floodplain wetland and Bidgee Lagoons. Inundation at Bidgee Lagoons was less than planned, so outcomes for that site were only partially achieved.

Robertson Creek was filled in spring 2020 to water black box, lignum and nitre goosefoot. It was the first time the site had received significant water since 2016, and further watering will be required to improve the condition of native vegetation communities, which are still recovering from prolonged drying through the Millennium Drought.

A slow through-flow was provided at Woolshed Creek in spring 2020, to consolidate the benefits of a similar watering event in 2019-20. The consecutive watering events have improved the condition of streamside vegetation along the creekline, and many species flowered in 2020-21. Growling grass frogs and waterbirds were also observed along the creekline during the watering event.

Top-ups were provided to three permanent wetland systems — Brickworks Billabong, Koorlong Lake and Lake Hawthorn — during summer and autumn, to protect habitat for endangered Murray hardyhead. The wetted margins of these wetlands also provide important foraging habitat for shorebirds.

Nyah Floodplain, Vinifera Floodplain, Burra Creek North and Burra Creek South have all been dry since 2019, and the river red gum communities at these sites are reaching the end of their optimal dry period. Burra Creek South Proper has been dry for the last seven years, and its vegetation community is in relatively poor condition.

Table 2 shows the partners and stakeholder organisations with which Mallee CMA engaged when preparing the lower Murray wetlands seasonal watering proposal.

Seasonal watering proposals are informed by longer-term regional catchment strategies, regional waterway strategies, environmental flow studies, water management plans and other studies. These incorporate a range of environmental, cultural, social and economic perspectives and longerterm integrated catchment and waterway management objectives. For further details, refer to the Mallee Regional Catchment Strategy and the Mallee Waterway Strategy

Table 2 Partners and stakeholders engaged in developing the lower Murray wetlands seasonal watering proposal