Commonwealth environmental water released from the Goulburn Valley in Victoria this autumn travelled around 1,500 kilometres downstream. This delivered benefits from Shepparton all the way to the Coorong.
Known as an autumn fresh, the coordinated water delivery flowed down the Goulburn River during March and April. It then joined the River Murray and continued downstream to the Coorong.
More than 80 gigalitres of Commonwealth environmental water was used.
In the Goulburn River, the water:
- supported native plants along the riverbanks
- helped native fish like golden perch and silver perch move into the river.
As the water travelled downstream, it boosted flows in the River Murray. This supported river health during a dry time.
When the water reached the end of the River Murray, more than 60 gigalitres flowed into the Lower Lakes and through to the Coorong. This made a big difference:
- fresher water improved conditions after a long, hot summer
- salt levels in the northern Coorong dropped by 35 parts per thousand from the start of March to the end of April.
Lower salt levels are important for healthy wetlands. Many plants and animals need fresh water to survive.
In the Lower Lakes, the flow protected wetland habitat from drying out for:
- frogs and waterbirds
- native fish, including the Yarra pygmy perch
- culturally important species such as thukabi (freshwater turtles) and kultawarri (yabbies).
The water also helped the Coorong mudflats. These areas are feeding grounds for shorebirds such as oystercatchers and avocets. Fresh water helped support the worms, crustaceans and molluscs that live in the mudflats that the birds feed on.
At the Murray Mouth, the fresh water helped protect the Meeting of the Waters registered heritage site. This place is very important to the Ngarrindjeri people.
This autumn flow shows how water released to benefit an upstream valley can also help Country and communities far downstream. Careful planning and strong teamwork made these local and Basin benefits possible.
Planning for the Goulburn environmental flows occurred through extensive collaboration. The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder thanks:
- Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority
- Goulburn-Murray Water
- Murray-Darling Basin Authority
- SA Water
- South Australian Department for Environment and Water
- Victorian Environmental Water Holder
- Traditional Owners, local communities and river ecologists.
![[Left] The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act-listed Vulnerable Yarra pygmy perch. Photo: Sylvia Zukowski, Nature Glenelg Trust. [Right] Eastern long-necked turtles, Lake Alexandrina. Photo: Scotte Wedderburn, The University of Adelaide.](https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/images/cewh-goulburn-valley-water-news-article.png)
