Past water use – lower Darling / Baaka region

The following tables show, where and how much water we’ve delivered in the lower Darling / Baaka valley in previous water years. We first delivered water in the region in 2013–14.

'CEW' refers to Commonwealth environmental water. All water volumes are in megalitres (ML).

For any watering actions completed this water year, visit Latest water use.

Table 9 lists watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2025–26.

To learn about how flows supported native fish, visit Darling and Warrego River Systems science publications.

Table 9: Watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2025–26
Location	Water delivered (ML)	Delivery dates	Outcomes
Lower Darling / Baaka River	CEW use: 6,000 ML of additional water protected by environmental water holders from the Basin’s north to Menindee Lakes	1 to 30 June 2026	Increase the likelihood that juvenile fish (including Murray cod and golden perch) survive their first winter and recruit into the adult population. Expand access to critical habitat such as snags and benches. Maintain river connectivity. Improve water quality.
Great Darling Anabranch	CEW use: 92,993 ML	December 2025 to May 2026	Continue to help golden perch move from the Menindee Lakes to the Great Darling Anabranch and provide habitat for native fish within the Anabranch. Improve overall river health. Provide continued benefits for vegetation, waterbirds, and aquatic animals including native fish, yabbies, turtles and rakali.

Table 8 lists watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2024–25.

To learn about how flows supported native fish, visit Darling and Warrego River Systems science publications.

Table 8: Watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2024–25
Location	Water delivered (ML)	Delivery dates	Outcomes
Lower Darling / Baaka River	CEW use: 7,568 TLM use: 28,300 NSW use: 1,487 Total: 37,355	July to September 2024 (TLM) May and June 2025 (CEW and NSW)	Supported the continued recovery of native fish affected by the autumn 2023 hypoxia event and mass fish deaths. Continued to help golden perch move from the Menindee Lakes to the lower Darling / Baaka and River Murray. Provide continued benefits to other aquatic plants and animals.
Great Darling Anabranch	CEW use: 103,386	July 2024 and October 2024 to May 2025	Helped golden perch to move from Lake Cawndilla into the Anabranch and potentially the River Murray. Supported native fish and aquatic animals by maintaining habitat and water quality. Provided continued benefits for vegetation, waterbirds, and other aquatic animals.

Table 7 lists watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2023–24.

To learn about how flows in the Great Darling Anabranch helped native fish in 2023–24, visit Native fish movement in the Great Darling Anabranch.

Commonwealth environmental water was not delivered in the lower Darling / Baaka in 2023–24. Environmental flows in the lower Darling / Baaka in 2023–24 were delivered using The Living Murray and New South Wales allocations.

To learn about how flows in the lower Darling / Baaka River helped native fish in 2023–24, visit Native fish response to flows in the lower Darling / Baaka River.

Table 7: Watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2023–24.
Location	Water delivered (ML)	Delivery dates	Outcomes
Great Darling Anabranch	CEW use: 110,828 NSW use: 2,354 Total: 113,182	July 2023 to June 2024	Helped golden perch to move from Lake Cawndilla to the River Murray. Supported native fish and aquatic animals by maintaining habitat and water quality. Provided continued benefits for vegetation, waterbirds, and other aquatic animals.

Table 6 lists watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2022–23. For more information, visit water updates 2021–2023.

To learn about how flows in the lower Darling / Baaka River helped native fish in 2022–23, visit Native fish response to flows in the lower Darling / Baaka River.

To learn about how flows in the Great Darling Anabranch helped native fish in 2022–23, visit Native fish movement in the Great Darling Anabranch.

Table 6: Watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2022–23.
Location	Water delivered (ML)	Delivery dates	Outcomes
Lower Darling / Baaka	CEW use: 88,399 The Living Murray use: 83,041 NSW use: 2,016 Total: 173,456	March to June 2023	Supported native fish in the lower Darling/Baaka during a low-oxygen event in autumn 2023. Helped young golden perch move to other areas.
Great Darling Anabranch	CEW use: 60,033 NSW use: 192 Total: 60,225	February to June 2023	Provided flows down the Great Darling Anabranch to keep it connected after the flood. Supported plants, waterbirds, bush birds and yabbies. Helped young golden perch move from Lake Cawndilla to the River Murray.

Table 5 lists watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2021–22. For more information, visit water updates 2021–2023.

To learn about how environmental flows helped native fish in 2021–22, visit Monitoring native fish in the lower Darling / Baaka River.

You can also learn about the freshwater mussel pilot study done in 2021–22.

Table 5: Watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2021–22.
Location	Water delivered (ML)	Delivery dates	Outcomes
Lower Darling / Baaka	CEW use: 13,286 The Living Murray use: 45,430 Total: 58,716	July to November 2021	Provided additional food and habitat for growing young fish. Increased flows for Murray cod breeding in the lower Darling/Baaka.
Great Darling Anabranch	CEW use: 35,118 NSW use: 4,550 Total: 39,668	October 2021 to March 2022	Helped water flow to the Anabranch for the first time in almost 5 years. Helped juvenile golden perch to move down the Anabranch to the River Murray. Provided benefits for plants and created additional feeding grounds for ducks and other waterbirds.

Table 4 lists watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2020–21.

To learn about how environmental flows helped native fish in 2020–21, visit Monitoring native fish in the lower Darling River.

Table 4: Watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2020–21.
Location	Water delivered (ML)	Delivery dates	Outcomes
Lower Darling / Baaka	CEW use: 11,187 The Living Murray use: 13,665 Total: 24,852	September 2020 to January 2021	Supported Murray cod breeding and native fish recovery following the devastating fish deaths in lower Darling / Baaka in 2018 and 2019.
Lower Darling / Baaka	CEW use: 648 The Living Murray use: 6,795 Total: 7,443	May to June 2021	Provided additional food and habitat for growing young fish.

In autumn 2020, inflows to Menindee Lakes from the northern Basin allowed for a resumption flow in the lower Darling / Baaka. This was a welcome relief after a long period of cease-to-flow conditions and fish death in 2019–19.

We didn’t deliver water for the environment in 2019–20 following the resumption flows. Instead, we reserved it for use in spring 2020–21.

Given the dry conditions and low storage volumes in Menindee Lakes, there were no feasible options for environmental water use in the lower Darling valley.

Table 3: Watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2017–18.
Location	Water delivered (ML)	Delivery dates	Outcomes
Lower Darling / Baaka	CEW use: 2,738 The Living Murray use: 23,072 Total: 25,810	July to December 2017	Provided habitat for native fish and supported spawning of Murray cod. Helped prolong an operational release from the Menindee Lakes for added native fish benefit.

Table 2: Watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2016–17.
Location	Water delivered (ML)	Delivery dates	Outcomes
Lower Darling / Baaka	CEW use: 71,249 The Living Murray use: 47,980 Total: 119,229	September 2016 to January 2017 April 2017 to June 2017	Supported spawning, recruitment and movement of Murray cod, golden and silver perch (spring). Maintained water quality in refuge pools and provided habitat for native fish (autumn).
Great Darling Anabranch	CEW use: 89,204 NSW use: 10,850 Total: 100,054	February to June 2017	Supported juvenile native fish (such as golden perch) to move from Lake Cawndilla into the River Murray. Helped improve water quality.

Given the dry conditions and low storage volumes in Menindee Lakes, there were no feasible options for environmental water use in the lower Darling valley.

Table 1: Watering actions we completed in the lower Darling / Baaka region in 2013–14.
Location	Water delivered (ML)	Delivery dates	Outcomes
Great Darling Anabranch	CEW use: 47,000 NSW use: 8,243 Total: 55,243	September to December 2013	This was the first Commonwealth environmental flow in the Lower Darling / Baaka region. It helped: support plants and animals residing in refuge pools along the Anabranch following the flood enable fish, such as Murray cod and golden perch, to move and reconnect with the River Murray support native riverbank and floodplain plants provide habitat for native birds and other animals, such as frogs.

Past water use – lower Darling / Baaka region

2025–26

2024–25

2023–24

2022–23

2021–22

2020–21

2020–21

2019–20

2017–18

2016–17

2015–16

2014–15

2013–14