Past water use – Lachlan River

• Support native fish breeding and recruitment.
• Provide a period of stable flows in the mid and lower Lachlan during the nesting period for Murray cod.

• To support high diversity of aquatic respondent and semi-aquatic plants and fringing Black box and River red gum.

CEW use: 3,646

NSW use: 7,832

Total: 11,478

• Support a large Australian pelican breeding rookery.
• Water levels were stabilised and evaporated slowly. This prevented big drops in water levels and maintained local food (fish) resources.
• A total of 22,919 nests were built during the 2023–24 season.
• To learn more, visit Pelican management at Lake Brewster.

CEW use: 1,213

NSW use: 0

Total: 1,213

• Provide a sequence of flow events to help Murray cod to breed.
• Protect their nests from drying out.
• Help larval fish move throughout the river.

CEW use: 110

NSW use: 110
Total: 220

• Provide variability in flow.
• Provide connectivity to the river to help native fish.

CEW use: 22,059

Total: 22,059

• Provide quality aquatic habitat along the entire Lachlan River.
• Provide water for key Southern Bell Frog habitat within the Great Cumbung Swamp.

• Connected flow to downstream wetlands via pumping
• Maintained the health of native plants.
• Maintained the number and types of native birds found along the creek.

• Helped improve water quality.
• Helped water levels to drop at a slower rate after a period of high flows.
• Created feeding and breeding areas for waterbirds.

• Helped improve water quality.
• Maintained healthy habitat for native fish and platypus in the upper Lachlan River.
• Supported the breeding of pelicans at Lake Brewster.

• Maintained the number and type of waterbirds.
• Maintained non-woody plants in wetland and floodplain areas.
• Maintained ephemeral understorey plants within forests, woodland and open floodplain areas.
• Maintained the spread of native woodland and shrubland plants on floodplains and improved plant condition.
• Created quality instream, floodplain and wetland habitat.

• Provided and protected refuge areas.
• Created quality instream, floodplain and wetland habitat.
• Supported movement of nutrients, carbon, and sediment between channels, floodplains and wetlands.
• Maintained the growth and survival of non-woody plants found in waterways.
• Maintained water-dependent species diversity.

• Consolidated the outcomes achieved from the 2020–21 translucent flows.
• Enabled higher flows to maintain connectivity with the floodplain for as long as possible.
• Maintained floodplain plants, particularly the core reed beds of the Great Cumbung Swamp.
• Supported native fish populations.
• Maintained habitat for native birds and frogs.

• Consolidated outcomes and ecological objectives achieved through the transparent flow event and 2019–20 flows.
• Maintained floodplain plants, particularly the core reed beds of the Great Cumbung Swamp and black box community near back Bunumburt Lakes area.
• Maintained connectivity with the floodplain.

• Supplemented replenishment flow targets.
• Maintained the overall health of the creek
• Maintained off-river channel habitat in the mid-Lachlan region.

• Maintained off channel floodplain habitat for native waterbirds and frogs.

• Consolidated the outcomes achieved through the September translucent extension.
• Enabled higher flows to maintain connectivity with the floodplain for as long as possible.
• Maintained floodplain plants, particularly the core reed beds of the Great Cumbung Swamp.

• Maintained water levels.
• Supported Australian pelican breeding.
• Supported aquatic plants to complete their full life cycle to provide future seed reserves.
• Provided feeding habitat for waterbirds, including migratory species and threatened species like the blue-billed duck.

• Consolidated outcomes and ecological objectives achieved through earlier translucent extensions.
• Improved flow variability and helped test if a higher pulse rate improves productivity.
• Supported juvenile native fish, including golden perch.

• Maintained the high quality of environmental responses to previous watering at this site.
• Maintained plant condition.
• Maintained refuge habitat for native birds and frogs.
• Provided foraging habitat for waterbirds.

Spring pulse helped:

• deliver water to multiple sites along the Lachlan River
• support in-channel habitat
• increase productivity and food for native fish.

For more information visit Lachlan River Spring Flow 2019.

• Supported important mid-Lachlan River drought refuge sites.
• Helped maintain riverbank plants and bird habitat.

• Maintained the overall health of the creek.
• Provided off-river channel refuge habitat in the mid-Lachlan region.

• Maintained the health of black box gums
• Provided refuge habitat for native animals, including water birds and frogs
• Increased waterbird abundance.

• Supported the gradual recovery of native fish, particularly Murray cod, following the 2016 flood.
• Supported stream metabolism, productivity and fish movement.

• Maintained water levels at Cotton's weir to support Murray cod nesting period.
• Helped rebuild Murray cod numbers following the 2016 flood.

• Helped top up the lagoon as an important drought refuge site for native fish and frogs.
• Maintained riverbank plant and bird habitat.

• Helped preserve the Cumbung as one of the most important waterbird breeding sites in eastern Australia.
• Added to previous watering actions to help water penetrate further into the Cumbung.
• Minimised water losses caused by evaporation.