10 things to know about water for the environment

1. Since 2008, water for the environment has been delivered to over 22,000 km of rivers…
2. …and over 370,000 ha of lakes, wetlands, estuaries and floodplains including 10 internationally significant Ramsar listed wetlands.
3. Water for the environment buffered the devastating impacts of drought on Basin plants and animals helping populations survive until better conditions returned.
4. Water for the environment helped native fish breed and rebuild populations after years of drought and reconnected rivers to help them move about...Photo: DPI Fisheries
5. …and provided refuge areas of better quality water to help fish survive low-oxygen blackwater.
6. Water for the environment kept wetland plants alive through dry times so waterbirds had places to nest…Photo: Nicola Brookhouse
7. … and topped up water levels to protect nests until chicks had left helping waterbird populations recover after years of decline. Photo: Kate Brandis
8. Water for the environment has helped the Coorong recover from the devastating impacts of the Millennium drought providing 10 years of continuous flows into one of Australia’s most significant fish and waterbird breeding Ramsar wetlands...Photo: MRL Board
9. Water for the environment has flushed over 3.3 million tonnes of salt out of the Basin over the last 7 years.
10. 15% of water licences in the Murray-Darling Basin are water for the environment held under the Basin Plan. Water licences for the environment have the same rules, allocations, and fees as those held by others.

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Officer partners with First Nations, state governments, scientists and communities to protect and restore the rivers and wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin.

To find out more visit:

dcceew.gov.au/water/cewo/making-a-difference