Monitoring - Mid-Murray

• Overview
• Latest water use
• Portfolio & Planning
• Monitoring
• History
• Edward Kolety-Wakool EWR Group

Monitoring Evaluation and Research

Monitoring and evaluating the use of water for the environment is helping to build knowledge about the best way to improve the health of the rivers and wetlands of the Basin, based on what works and what doesn’t work.

Monitoring of aquatic vegetation by CSU in 2019-2020. Photo: CSU

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office works with Basin states, the Murray-Darling Basin Authority, scientists and the local community to build this knowledge. There are a number of programs currently underway in the Mid-Murray.

Some recent examples of learnings include:

• Environmental water supported the establishment of aquatic vegetation communities in the mid-Murray over 2014-18.
• The increase in longitudinal connectivity in the Yallakool Creek, mid and lower Wakool River and Colligen creek created by the winter watering action provided opportunities for fish movement, dispersal of seeds and vegetation, and maintained critical habitat for animals that have small home ranges.
• Increasing the extent and duration of lateral connectivity can play an important role in river productivity, increasing the opportunity for dissolved carbon inputs to the stream from the sediment or organic materials, such as leaves, biofilms, grasses and other inundated vegetation. The slower recession also provides opportunities for growth and increased cover of submerged and amphibious macrophytes which can increase habitat for invertebrates, frogs and fish. Slower recessions can also minimise the stranding of invertebrates, tadpoles and small fish in backwaters.

Monitoring water quality by CSU in 2019-2020. Photo: CSU

An integrated research and community engagement project to address physical, ecological, and social questions about the Edward/Kolety River. The research is being undertaken in partnership with Yarkuwa Indigenous Knowledge Centre, the Edward-Wakool Angling Association and the Western Murray Land Improvement Group. Researchers will examine how flows influence physical and ecological processes in the Edward/Kolety River. The research will help answer questions on the following themes:

• lateral connectivity under operational and environmental flows
• changes in the condition of riverbanks under operational and environmental flows
• river productivity under operational and environmental flows
• wetland plant emergence and survival in Werai Forest
• turtle movement and condition
• fish spawning in the Edward/Kolety River

Using drones to study changes in the condition of riverbanks

Social research will be integrated with the biophysical research to explore stakeholder perceptions and their involvement in monitoring and water management.

Commonwealth Environmental Water Office MER Program

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office Monitoring, Evaluation and Research (MER) (Flow-MER) Program integrates and replaces monitoring and research activities under the Long-Term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) and Environmental Water Knowledge and Research (EWKR) projects.

A detailed MER Plan has been developed for the Edward Kolety-Wakool river system which sets out the schedule of activities to be undertaken in the Edward Kolety-Wakool to June 2023.

Map of the Edward Kolety-Wakool Selected Area showing existing LTIM sites that will be continued (red), sites where water quality sampling will be supplemented with data from WaterNSW loggers (green), sites where new loggers will be installed (yellow). Sites with existing DO loggers that will not be routinely sampled but may be considered for contingency sampling events (pink)

River Murray Channel Monitoring Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26

During 2020-21, environmental water managers from Basin state and Commonwealth agencies collaborated to develop a five-year monitoring plan for the River Murray Channel.

The Plan focuses on monitoring River Murray system scale responses to coordinated water for environment delivery in the Southern Connected Murray-Darling Basin. It builds on existing monitoring programs to fill gaps and to evaluate ecological responses to flow at as system scale, to inform and improve the way water for the environment is managed.

Implementation of the Plan is expected to significantly improve monitoring coverage in the River Murray, focusing on productivity and fish indicators that will directly inform improved management and coordination of flows. Monitoring for 2022-23 is underway, with reporting on 2021-22 results to be published once finalised.

The Plan was developed by the monitoring sub-group of the Southern Connected Basin Environmental Watering Committee, including representatives from the New South Wales Department of Planning, Industry and Environment: Environment Energy and Science, Victorian Environmental Water Holder, South Australian Department of Environment and Water, Murray-Darling Basin Authority and Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, with support and guidance from a team of scientific experts.

The Plan is available at: River Murray Channel Monitoring Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Activities and Reports