Lake Gol Gol is a culturally significant 460-hectare wetland in western NSW, home to over 40 threatened species and vital habitat for migratory waterbirds. After the 1956 flood severed its natural connection to Gol Gol Creek, the lake received water only during rare flood events—leading to ecological decline.
To restore flows, a modern flume gate was installed on an existing culvert. The gate uses telemetry and automated controls to deliver environmental water accurately and efficiently, meeting national metering standards.
This infrastructure is helping to revive wetland vegetation, improve habitat for waterbirds, and support biodiversity.
The project was delivered through a multi-stakeholder partnership involving the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Kureinji Aboriginal Corporation Inc., Crown Lands, Western Local Land Services, and the Gol Gol Community Reference Group.
Aunty Ronnie O’Donnell, Kureinji Aboriginal Corporation: I feel passionate about Go Gol and supporting it and looking after it.
I've seen the impacts of the lack of overbank flows and the over-regulation of the river and seeing the river go from what was relatively clear and beautiful and seeing the trees and the wetlands that it provided for start to die and watching the environment and the landscape suffer.
Mark Henderson, DCCEEW: So Go Gol Lake is a naturally ephemeral lake that was in the past much wetter than it is today.
We've been able to get a little bit of water into it during flood events.
That's allowed us to deliver water to the site about every six to seven years over the last 15 years.
It's not enough though to keep the site in good ecological health.
We've recognised the need to be able to deliver more often.
We're looking to improve the health of the lake, improve the health of the trees that are existing here, but also regeneration of those trees and those vegetation which is also a habitat for the water birds.
Over 54 species of water birds we recorded here last spring in our spring water bird surveys.
So really looking to rehabilitate the water bird habitat out here.
In partnership with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy Environmental and Water have co-funded a flume game.
It doubles as a regulator and a water metering system, and that way we can deliver held environmental water, not just when there's flow conditions in the river.
The new infrastructure is a game changer.
It gives us water managers just so much more capacity to deliver the water into the wetland when the wetland most needs it, not just when there's unregulated flow in the river.
Curly Roberts, Gol Gol Community Reference Group: We are now going to be able to deliver water in critical periods for specific environmental purposes, for example, bird breeding programmes to complete with an allocation of water that will be recorded and registered and measured when previously we were unable to.
I'm extremely pleased to see the state that the wetlands are in, where we're seeing the regeneration and the restoration of the flora, whether it's a lignum which will then flow on to increase breeding programmes at the next wetting event, the germination of eucalypt trees that are getting up to two metres now, two and a half, three metres. It's all a part of the jigsaw of the recovery of the wetlands in all aspects.
Aunty Ronnie O’Donnell, Kureinji Aboriginal Corporation: Now to be able to get environmental flows into those areas and see those areas begin to again support flora and fauna that that should be supporting and watching that come back to life – that's what keeps me driven to keep looking after country.
