The Gwydir Valley has received water for the environment since 2010.
Water for the environment supports many aspects of the region. This includes:
- wetland habitat
- plants
- native fish
- frogs
- waterbirds.
It also improves the valley's connection to the Barwon River.
The latest achievements are below. To learn more about past water delivery, visit Past water use.
Drought recovery
The Gwydir Valley experienced very dry conditions between 2017 and 2020. The driest year recorded in decades was 2019.
In this time, most of the lower Gwydir River and Gingham Watercourse had dried to a series of isolated pools.
To help native fish survive the drought, we delivered water to key refuge pools.
From late 2020 to early 2021 the drought began to break and river flows started to recover. We delivered water to many sites including:
- Lower Gwydir
- Gingham system
- Mallowa Creek system
- Barwon River via the Carole and Gil Gil creeks.
We delivered water to the Barwon River as part of the Northern Waterhole Top-up. This water delivery helped native plants and animals survive during drought. It also helped them bounce back stronger when wetter conditions returned.
Supporting unique wildlife and vegetation
There are many benefits to delivering water to the Gwydir region. Water deliveries have resulted in:
- more food, habitat, and chances for waterbirds, fish, plants and wildlife to breed
- healthy wetland plants
- connection to the Barwon River.
Water has helped birds to breed by keeping water levels stable under their nests. Birds are able to fledge in areas that otherwise would have dried up. If areas had dried up, it would have led to predator attacks and birds leaving their nests and young.