Murray-Darling Basin Commission – 
February 2005 E-letter No 39

Welcome to the Murray-Darling Basin monthly e-letter with reports of happenings across the Basin.

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(See also The Living Murray website at http://www.thelivingmurray.mdbc.gov.au)

In this issue:

1. New water regulators for Gunbower Forest & Lindsay Wallpolla Islands
2. Invitation to attend a public forum on the Darling Basin
3. MDBC funded fishways a success
4. MDBC dryland salinity costs guidelines now available
5. Catchment Modelling Toolkit workshops
6. ‘Water capital' at 29th Hydrology & Water Resources Symposium
7. Workshop to explore marsh legislation maze
8. Making the Darling's future more sustainable
9. Moving to “green” engineering
10. Great opportunity for 14 young rural leaders

New water regulators for Gunbower Forest & Lindsay Wallpolla Island
The Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) has announced that $1.6 million will be spent on water regulators to improve the health of wetlands across Gunbower and Lindsay Wallpolla islands.

Chief Executive Dr Wendy Craik said that works on the regulators would lead to the restoration of healthy, permanent and semi-permanent wetlands and red gum forests.

“These works will help to reinstate wetting and drying regimes more in line with cycles prior to river regulation.

“Works will take place in the Gunbower and Koondrook-Perricoota forests and Chowilla (Lindsay Wallpolla) flood plain areas .

“These floodplains are two of the six significant ecological assets identified in the Living Murray first step decision by Murray Darling Basin Ministerial Council in November 2003,” she said.

The funding for these construction works comes from the “Environmental Works and Measures Program” which has been allocated $150 million to fund projects designed to deliver maximum environmental benefit for the six significant ecological assets.

The Department of Sustainability and Environment, Victoria has been responsible for coordinating the implementation of these projects through the North Central Catchment Management Authority and the Mallee Catchment Management Authority.

The works in the Gunbower forest include the construction of a new regulator on Little Gunbower creek, refurbishment of the Barham Cut and Shillinglaws regulators and decommissioning of Wattles regulator.

These works form the first stage of the total works program to be implemented as part of the Flooding Enhancement of Gunbower Forest project.

The works on Lindsay/Wallpolla islands will see the construction of inlet regulators on Horseshoe Lagoon, Webster's Lagoon and Lake Wallwalla.

“The Commission approval will now allow preparation of detailed designs and funding for on ground construction works which should start in 2005.”

For more information (including background papers and downloadable high resolution photographs) go to www.mdbc.gov.au/gunbower

For media inquiries contact: Allison Hicks, Phone: 02 62790129, BH Mobile (0407) 704609, Email: allison.hicks@mdbc.gov.au
 

Invitation to attend a public forum on the Darling Basin
The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council is hosting a public forum on 25 February for anybody who has an interest in the future of the people who live in the Darling Basin

The forum aims to further develop a draft proposition for a Darling initiative prepared by a group of people with interests across the Darling Basin who came together in Moree in December 2004.

At this month's forum, which will be held at the Moree Services Club from 9.30 am to 3 pm, participants will also have the opportunity to discuss how the proposal should be progressed and by whom.

The earlier meeting came together to see if there was a collective desire to consider and actively manage the strategic issues that will determine the future of the Darling Basin, and if so, how and by whom this might best be achieved.

The group recognised there were many other interested people not present on the day, that their views were equally valid and that a much wider range of people must be given the opportunity to participate through future forums.

Participants stated their individual areas of interest and identified the issues they saw as being important for the Darling Basin.  Several key themes emerged from the discussion and it became apparent that there was a common resolve to seek the best possible future for the 600,000 people who live in the Darling Basin.

It was agreed that a whole of Darling Basin focus that encompasses the biophysical, social, cultural and economic diversity of the region was essential.

The group identified five key themes to be addressed:

• people power;
• knowledge;
• relationships with governments;
• decision making framework; and
• the diversity of values within the Darling Basin.

For more information on the forum and the issues contact: Leith Boully, CAC Chairman phone: 0412 678 633, email: leith.boully@mdbc.gov.au
 

MDBC funded fishways a success
New data shows that thousands of fish are using two specially-built fishways to allow passage through a barrage on the River Murray.

Trials conducted by South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) scientists has revealed that up to 4000 fish - 12 different species - have used two fishways at the Tauwitchere barrage to migrate between the lower lakes of the river and the Coorong during a three-week period.

Conservative estimates, based on earlier work by senior scientist, Dr Qifeng Ye, from SARDI Aquatic Sciences, who heads up a tri-state research team, suggest that the fishways will be used by up to 30 different species and more than one million fish in a year.

“The small trials undertaken to date clearly demonstrate the usefulness of these fishways in improving the health of native fish populations, not only in the River Murray and further upstream, but the Coorong too,” Dr Ye said.

“These fishways herald an exciting new chapter in the management of our native fish and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) funded tri-state research program is really paying dividends,” Minister Maywald said.

“The fishways at Tauwitchere and Locks 7 and 8,  along with those under construction at Goolwa, are the first fishways in a series of new fishways to be built along the length of the River Murray from Hume Dam to the sea to improve access for migrating native fish of the Murray-Darling system.”

“The fishways have been constructed as a part of the MDBC's Living Murray Initiative which has provided $25 million for the Sea to Hume fishway program.”

At Tauwitchere, the vertical slot fishway is used by a range of species such as lamprey and mulloway, while the rock ramp fishway is designed for small and medium-sized fish, including the common galaxis and congoli.

The trials, through December and January, involved the release of water over the fishways.  Water was provided from licences held by the Minister for Environment and Conservation and SA Water.

Eventually fishways will be constructed at all major structures between the Hume Dam in New South Wales and the Murray Mouth in South Australia, giving fish free passage in the River Murray over a length of more than 2200km.

The co-operative project to facilitate restoring fish passage at the Murray Mouth involves fisheries scientists from SA, Victoria, NSW, QLD, together with staff from the Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation, SA Water,  and River Murray Water.

Further information contact: Dr Qifeng Ye, Senior Research Scientist, SARDI Aquatic Sciences on 8207 5447 or 0401 122 135.

Dryland salinity costs guidelines now available
An MDBC publication now available in hard copy provides guidelines to identify and value salinity impact costs on dryland agricultural and urban systems.

In 1998, the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, in partnership with the National Dryland Salinity Program, initiated the project Determining the full cost of dryland and urban salinity across the Murray-Darling Basin.

The project aimed to develop and apply a method to estimate the full range of dryland salinity impact costs on dryland agriculture and urban systems across the Basin. The publication “Dryland and urban salinity costs across the Murray-Darling Basin: an overview & guidelines for identifying and valuing the impacts” is now available in hard copy.

As part of this project, which concluded in 2003, guidelines to identify and value salinity impact costs on dryland and urban systems were developed and then applied, with information on these salinity impact costs collected from across the Basin.

Since the conclusion of this project, the MDBC has continued to develop and refine methods for estimating the costs of salinity impacts in the MDB and in particular to water users from the shared rivers- the River Murray and the Lower Darling.

For more information contact Matt Kendall, Manager Salinity Program, matt.kendall@mdbc.gov.au

Copies of the publication are available from the MDBC Information Officer, phone (02) 6279 0141 or email info@mdbc.gov.au.
 

Catchment Modelling Toolkit workshops
The CRC for Catchment Hydrology will present four catchment modelling toolkit workshops in Canberra to coincide with the 29th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium (see item below).

The workshops, to be held 24 and 25 February 2005 will cover:

• An Introduction to Catchment Modelling and E2 which introduces participants to a new way of conceptualising and constructing catchment models;
• Stochastic Climate Library (1 day) - designed for hydrologists, environmental scientists and modellers to facilitate the generation of stochastic rainfall and climate data;
• Rainfall Runoff Library - a catchment modelling tool developed using The Invisible Modelling Environment (TIME). The library contains several commonly used rainfall runoff models (AWBM, Sacramento, SimHyd, SMAR and Tank); and
• SedNet - Sediment Budgets for River Networks - designed for those with technical roles in planning regional catchment and river management to achieve improved water quality and managing habitat sedimentation.

For more information and registration forms go to http://www.toolkit.net.au/training or contact: Virginia Verrelli 03 9905 2704, crcch@eng.monash.edu.au
 
 

‘Water Capital' at 29th Hydrology & Water Resources Symposium
The 29th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium to be held in Canberra 20-23 February will explore “Water Capital” – the issues impacting on water and related environments, policy and the value of water

The main Symposium themes of Water Capital will be:

• Environmental flows, ecology and catchment management;
• Water trading, policies and institutions;
• Education, research and knowledge transfer;
• Urban water;
• Groundwater hydrology and indigenous water; and
• General hydrology

• Hon Dr Sharman Stone, MP, former Parliamentary Secretary to the Australian Minister, for the Environment and Heritage;
• Tony McLeod, River Murray Environmental Manager, Murray-Darling Basin Commission;
• Rob Vertessy, Chief CSIRO Land and Water; and
• Tony Jakeman, Director Integrated Catchment, Assessment & Management Centre;

Workshop to explore marsh legislation maze
The Wetlands Centre and the Hunter-Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority are hosting a one-day professional workshop: "Legislation and Wetlands: Negotiating the Marsh Maze".

To be held on Tuesday, 22 March,  the workshop will focus on ways that local government, development industry, utilities and other wetland neighbours can manage their business to avoid environmental impacts and therefore regulation under State and Commonwealth legislation.

It will draw on wetland case studies and possible scenarios on the operation of the following Acts:

• Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999)
• NSW Water Management Act (2000)    c.. NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995)
• NSW Native Vegetation Act (2003)
• NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act (1974).

Organisers say participants will receive:

• a clear understanding of some of the principal legislation and reforms affecting activities and developments in and around wetlands, including how they interrelate;
• direct contact with legal practitioners and qualified trainers with extensive experience covering State and Commonwealth wetland-related legislation and policy;
• an overview of wetland management initiatives from the Manning to the Central Coast; and
• networking opportunities amongst local and State government, community and development industry representatives who have a need to understand wetland legislation and policy.

Making the Darling's future more sustainable
The conclusions of a major, new Murray-Darling Basin book which calls for a sustainable future for the Darling River corridor's water resources, biodiversity, agricultural and other economic enterprises are featured in the latest issue of Australian Landcare magazine.

The brilliantly illustrated volume - “The Darling” - examines attitudes and issues from social and land use perspectives.

The Landcare article is largely based on the concluding chapter authored by Kevin Goss, until recently a senior manager and acting head of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission  and Jenny McLellan, a Basin pastoralist at Brewarrina in NSW.

Goss and McLellan say all the chapters of the book, each in their own way, offer conclusions about how natural resources in the Darling catchment should be managed in the future.

They offer ideas such as:

• bring over-exploitation of natural resources under control—limiting river diversions and controlling vegetation clearing.
• focus new development opportunities—innovation, new enterprises and higher value uses of resources—and attention to alternative land uses, specifically Aboriginal ivolvement in natural resource and heritage management.
• work with land managers— knowledge, new technologies and policy administration based on an understanding of how enterprises are managed and decisions made.
• strategic investment in nature conservation and biodiversity protection—priority conservation areas and agreements for off-reserve management.
• commitment to the principles of integrated catchment management—clarity of goals, stable organisations, thorough engagement processes, and accountable actions.
• better knowledge—as there is not yet sufficient understanding.

“Sustainability in the Darling Basin means working towards social, cultural, environmental and economic sustainability.

“It means balancing resource use between the environment and human consumption. It means removing the shackles of current leasehold arrangements and paving the way for new enterprises.

“It means connecting remote and isolated communities in the basin to the information and services they need, and connecting people outside the basin to the environmental realities and economic opportunities of managing the basin's natural resources.

“It means looking ahead as broadly as we can, being prepared for new ways of thinking and being able to adapt to change. And above all, it means sharing the precious resources on which we humans, and the Darling Basin itself, both rely and survive on.”

For more information go to http://www.australianlandcaremagazine.com.au

Moving to “green” engineering
Engineers managing rivers are now faced with an entirely new set of challenges, according to River Murray Water General Manager David Dreverman.

River Murray Water is the business unit of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission which manages and operates the River Murray system.

In a guest column in the Australian Water Association's official journal, Mr Dreverman says engineers now need to understand ecological issues such as the behaviour of different species of fish, birds and plants and they need a comprehensive understanding of the critical connection between rivers, floodplains and the ebb and flow of flood waters and dry periods.

“Close teamwork is now essential between scientists and engineers,” Mr Dreverman, an engineer with more than three decades experience, said.

Scientists, for their part need to:

• explain the ecological issues;
• draw on scientific methods;
• explain their findings;
• share their vision for what can be achieved;
• explain what changes are required and why;
• participate with engineers in an interactive process to develop options;
• show a willingness to understand what is important from an operational or engineering perspective; and, most importantly, they
• need to understand that engineering “fixes” to environmental problems will take much longer than they sometimes expect or would like.

• listen willingly to and learn from the scientists;
• be innovative in developing options;
• engage with scientists in the development of engineering options; and
• explain what is important from an operational or engineering perspective

“Together the scientists and engineers must seek sustainable outcomes, which balance the often competing economic, social and environmental needs.

“They must be ready, willing and capable to present the options to governments and communities and take account of comments and concerns when finalising preferred options,” he said.

For more information go to www.awa.asn.au/news&info/water/latest.htm or contact Mr Drevermanon (02)  62790100
 

Great opportunity for 14 young rural leaders
Fourteen young leaders selected for company directors' courses under the Australian Government's Young People in Rural Industries' Program will have a chance to make a more significant contribution to their rural industries.

The five-day, intensive course gets under way in Canberra this month and will enable participants to complete the educational requirements for a certified and nationally-recognised course, while allowing for group work and discussion sessions with experienced company directors.

The course is provided under the Corporate Governance Scholarships initiative of the Australian Government's Young People in Rural Industries program.

This is the fourth time the scholarships have been awarded since they were introduced in October 2001.

The course will be held in Canberra between February and June this year.

"The course provides young leaders from diverse backgrounds with practical skills, confidence, knowledge and networks to contribute to industry decision-making forums, such as boards, committees and working groups,” according to Australian Agriculture Minister Warren Truss.

"A wide range of leadership skills and perspectives is essential if our rural industries are to remain competitive, profitable and sustainable.

"The program encourages young women and men, aged 18-35 years, to become more involved in rural industry leadership and decision-making, and helps ensure government hears the views of young Australians on agricultural issues," Mr Truss said.

Further information is available on www.daff.gov.au/youngleaders and www.yarn.gov.au websites.
 

ends