Murray-Darling Basin Commission – April 2005 E-letter No 41

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. Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council welcomes Living Murray progress
2. Researchers find more migratory native fish in the River Murray
3. New MDBC report assesses status of Basin groundwater resources
4. Good work on salinity applauded but there's more to be done
5. Resilience & capacity to weather extremes are key to sustainability
6. Temporary Partial Drawdown of Euston Weir Pool Level
7. Exhibition looks at salinisation stories
8. National Water Commission Chairman and Commissioners appointed
9. Young extension providers invited to national workshops
10. River Murray Catchment Water Management Plan now online

Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council welcomes Living Murray progress
The 37th Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council held in Canberra on 1 April welcomed progress made with The Living Murray Initiative.

In a communiqué at the conclusion of the meeting ministers also noted that many activities had progressed on an informal basis prior to outstanding issues on the National Water Initiative being resolved.

The Council agreed that on the basis that issues regarding the National Water Initiative had been resolved, the Living Murray Business Plan was now activated.

The Council formally announced the membership of the Community Reference Group agreed by the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and the MDBC and noted that the Group would have its first meeting shortly.

The Community Reference Group will advise the CAC and The Living Murray Board on implementation of The Living Murray initiative and the River Murray Channel significant ecological asset in particular.

The Council also noted that forums to explain The Living Murray Business Plan would be held near each of the six significant ecological assets as soon as possible.

Asset Managers have now been appointed by New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia where part or all of a Significant Ecological Asset is in the respective State.  This represents an important milestone in implementing the management arrangements for The Living Murray laid out in the Business Plan.

The Council also welcomed the range of activities that are well advanced under The Living Murray Environmental Works and Measures Program at:

• Gunbower-Koondrook/Perricoota Forest Significant Ecological Asset;
• Chowilla Floodplain (including Lindsay-Wallpolla) Significant Ecological Asset;
• Chowilla flood plain (watering of red gum sites);
• Horseshoe lagoon (detailed design of the regulating structures);
• Hydrodynamic model for Lindsay, Wallpolla and Mulcra (contract has been awarded);
• River Murray Channel Significant Ecological Asset; and
• the construction of the fishway at Lock 9 is progressing well and due for completion in June 2005;

With respect to progressing water recovery under the Living Murray, the Council announced a further four projects totalling $417,000 as part the $1.2m development of infrastructure improvements program.

The Council acknowledged that the River Murray remained in the grip of a severe drought, with the driest four-year inflow sequence on record, despite recent excellent heavy rainfall.

The Council also:

• discussed measures to expand permanent interstate water trade in the southern interconnected Basin;
• noted progress in implementing integrated catchment management;
• released the report of the Independent Audit Group for Salinity for 2003-2004 and the 2003-2004 Annual Implementation Report;
• agreed to release the Independent Audit Group's report on the Cap for 2003-04 and noted that the annual Independent Cap Audit would be continued until November 2009;
• approved the 2005-06 budget of $99.9m for the Murray-Darling Basin Commission and agreed that contributions in future years will be refined as part of the current strategic planning process;
• thanked the outgoing Chairman of the Community Advisory Committee, Ms Leith Boully, for the major contribution she had made to the progress of the Murray-Darling Basin Initiative;
• noted that the selection process for a new CAC Chairman was underway and welcomed Myles Treseder as Acting Chairman in the interim.

Researchers find more migratory native fish in the River Murray
A surprising number of species of native fish migrate up and down the River Murray, according to Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) Chief Executive Dr Wendy Craik.
 
Commenting on early results from research being carried our by a NSW, South Australian and Victorian team monitoring the new vertical slot fishway at Lock 8 near the South Australian border, Dr Craik said she was encouraged by the numbers and habits of the River Murray's migrating native fish.

The fishway is the first of the new “fish ladders” that will allow a broader range of fish sizes to pass through.

It has been built under the umbrella of the Native Fish Strategy established by the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council and is part of an ambitious program to provide 2,300 kilometres of fish passage from the sea to Lake Hume.

According to Dr Craik, the structures will help declining or threatened native fish populations resume their natural migration patterns upstream to breed or feed.

“The fishway has been operating for only 15-months and is already producing a wealth of information on the numbers, species and habits of fish traveling through the river,” Dr Craik said.

“For example, researchers have discovered that huge numbers of fish have been using the new structure. A total of 29,500 fish used the fishway in 55 days of monitoring since the fishway began operating,” she said.
 
“On average, over 500 fish a day have used the fishway despite no high flow events occurring since construction. This is about 200,000 fish a year or 15 million fish over the 80-year design life of the fishway” she said.

Fish ranging from tiny 30 mm Australian smelt to large 900 mm Murray cod have used the fishway. Over 2,000 golden perch have passed through and some tagged individuals have migrated more than 400 km upstream.

The early results have provided feedback into the design program to improve knowledge and ensure future success with better management of all Murray-Darling Basin fish.

“The success of the Lock 8 fishway is a clear demonstration that the MDBC's ”sea to Lake Hume” program is delivering positive benefits to the River Murray and its aquatic life,” Dr Craik said.

For more information on the Native Fish Strategy go to: www.mdbc.gov.au

For interviews with MDBC Chief Executive Dr Wendy Craik please contact: Allison Hicks , Phone: 02 62790129 BH Mobile (0407) 704609, Email: allison.hicks@mdbc.gov.au
 

New MDBC report assesses status of Basin groundwater resources
A new Murray-Darling Basin report assesses the status of groundwater resources in the Basin using data collated from more than 1,200 observation bores across the Basin.

This information, which covers trends in groundwater extent and condition over the decade from 1990-2000, will provide a baseline picture of Basin groundwater resources and will allow the evaluation of trends in groundwater levels and condition in the future.

The Murray-Darling Basin Groundwater Status Report has been collated in recognition of the need to better understand the extent and quality of available groundwater and to ensure that groundwater resources in the Basin are managed in a sustainable way.

The data and information have been collated in a way that recognises different management perspectives and information needs of different users.

The Murray-Darling Basin Groundwater Status Report consists of an overview brochure and a summary report which is accompanied by three CDs: one which contains all 25 reports produced as part of the project including 23 catchment reports provided in an interactive format; a GIS tool which presents a series of digital maps and hydrographs; and a software CD.

The report is available on request by contacting the MDBC Information Officer on 02 6279 0141 or email: info@mdbc.gov.au

For more information about the Groundwater Status Report project, contact Dr Sharon Davis on 02 6279 0171 or email sharon.davis@mdbc.gov.au
 

Good work on salinity applauded but there's more to be done
Significant progress has been made towards improved salinity management in the Murray-Darling Basin but there is still much work to be done, Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC) Chief Executive Dr Wendy Craik said on 4 April.

Dr Craik's statement follows the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council meeting in Canberra on Friday at which Federal, State and Territory Ministers released the findings of two important salinity reports:

• the Independent Audit Group for Salinity 2003-2004 Report; and
• the Basin Salinity Management Strategy (BSMS) 2003-2004 Annual Implementation Report.

Key achievements during 2003-04 included:

• setting of end of valley salinity targets by the partner governments;
• accrediting a suite of models to evaluate stream salinity;
• developing approaches to evaluate the salinity impacts of irrigation; and
• establishing baseline conditions for salinity assessment.

“The potential risks to the BSMS implementation include our ability to manage high salinities following floods, accounting for the salinity impacts of irrigation development and ensuring that the Salinity Registers are robust.  The importance of catchment planning in meeting end-of-valley salinity targets has also been recognised as being vital in meeting the BSMS objectives.

“Salinity is a complex and ongoing issue and its management requires long term commitment and investment taking a whole of catchment approach.  Future reporting will continue to track our progress in meeting our objectives,” Dr Craik said.

Copies of the reports are available by contacting: info@mdbc.gov.au or calling 02 62790141

For interviews with MDBC personnel please contact: Allison Hicks , Phone: 02 62790129 BH Mobile (0407) 704609, Email: allison.hicks@mdbc.gov.au
 
 

Resilience and capacity to weather extremes are key to sustainability
Sustainability for both industry and the environment clearly depended on resilience and the capacity to weather extremes.

That was the central message from Murray-Darling Basin Commission Chief Executive Dr Wendy Craik in a major speech on Weather, Climate, Water and Sustainable Development on 23 March.

Delivering the 2005 World Meteorological Day Address in Melbourne, Dr Craik  said the significance of variability and of extremes continually challenged the MDBC's decision making.
“Our challenge, as managers, is to manage in a way that recognises and supports the building and maintenance of that resilience.”

Speaking at the Melbourne headquarters of the Bureau of Meteorology, Dr Craik's wide-ranging address provided the background to the challenges that weather and climate, and particularly their extremes, presented to the management of water and sustainable development within the Murray-Darling Basin.

She also explained how MDBC managers were trying to meet those challenges.

“Advances in irrigation technology, the implementation of land and water management plans, private sector investments and major initiatives of governments provide the framework for enhancing sustainability in the Murray-Darling Basin.

“The Murray-Darling Basin Commission provides a Basin wide perspective, with governments and communities working together to implement initiatives to enhance Basin sustainability.

“The Commission's 90-year history and lengthy hydrological records provide us with a good base for management of shared water resources in the Basin.

“However, climate and weather drive the Basin's hydrology in complex ways.  High annual and multi year variability are very important influences on both industry and ecology in the Basin. The extremes, more than the averages, often drive the major changes to both environment and water use,” she said.

Speaking at the Australian Water Summit on 30 March, Dr Craik also said that climate change was the largest risk to the Basin's water resources in the mid to long term.

“And it's not clear what the hydrological impacts of that are going to be,” she said.

“It's very likely that we'll get increased evaporation and decreased precipitation.

”Obviously, increased evaporation is likely to lead to greater water demand from various consumptive uses, and potentially the environment,” Dr Craik said.

For more information go to www.mdbc.gov.au
 

Temporary Partial Drawdown of Euston Weir Pool Level
The water level of Euston Weir pool will be partially drawn down to assist in meeting flow requirements between Euston and Wentworth, River Murray Water (RMW) announced on 24 March.

RMW General Manager, Mr David Dreverman said this operation is being undertaken to maintain downstream flow requirements.

“Recent warm and dry conditions have increased river losses and diversions over the last two weeks, and inflows to Euston Weir pool are forecast to be slightly less than current flow requirements downstream of Euston,” Mr Dreverman said.

“As a result, it is now necessary to temporarily draw on water in the Euston Weir pool to continue meeting downstream water supply requirements,” he said.

The water level of Euston Weir pool is currently 47.55 m or 5 cm below full supply level (47.6 m AHD).  It is expected the pool level will be gradually drawn down to a level about 20 to 30 cm below full supply level by mid April, and then return to near full supply level.

However, the extent of the drawdown may be less than this if inflows to Euston Weir pool improve as a result of a change to cooler weather conditions.

“This operation will not impact on levels in the Mildura Weir pool.  Plans are in place to maintain the level of Mildura Weir pool near full supply level over the coming week for the Mildura 100 Ski Race,” Mr Dreverman said.

River pumpers, boat operators and other river users are advised to take this operation into account in their planning.

For further information contact David Dreverman on 02 6279 0100
 

Exhibition looks at salinisation stories
A new website is highlights an innovative project which explores the impact of large-scale environmental change – in this case, the effects of salinity – on the community in and around Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.

Pass the Salt is an online community exhibition developed by the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, the Museum of the Riverina and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission.

It documents the many ways in which Wagga Wagga has responded to salinisation over the past 10 years, devoting substantial social and economic resources to the battle.

The exhibition will grow as an archive, as curators add more stories and browsers share their salinity experiences. It highlights the role of museums in documenting contemporary issues affecting regional areas.

Pass the Salt examines how different ways of thinking about the land have resulted in new plantings of native trees and shrubs; the creation of landcare groups; the invention of new machines; and a $3m investment by Wagga Wagga City Council in an urban salinity strategy.

“Salinisation threatens many regional communities in Australia, and the Wagga Wagga region has responded with great creativity and innovation,” said National Museum director Craddock Morton. “Our curators have worked closely with the people of Wagga Wagga, revealing their stories as part of our broader story of land, nation and people.”

The Pass the Salt website was launched by Mr Morton, a former Wagga Wagga resident, on Tuesday, March 22 at the Museum of the Riverina, in the Historic Council Chambers, on the corner of Baylis and Morrow Streets, Wagga Wagga.

It can be viewed on the website of the National Museum of Australia on www.nma.gov.au/salt

For more information contact Leanda Coleman on (02) 6208 5338, 0438 620 710 or l.coleman@nma.gov.au or Sandy Forbes on  (02) 6208 5351, 0409 916 481 or s.forbes@nma.gov.au
 

National Water Commission Chairman and Commissioners appointed
The Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, announced the names of the inaugural Chairman and Commissioners of the National Water Commission on 10 March.

He also announced that all the original State and Territory signatories to the National Water Initiative had confirmed their full commitment to the Initiative.

“The task of implementing the National Water Initiative is both substantial and important for all Australians. The Australian Government and the State and Territory signatories will now be working to meet all their commitments under last year's historic intergovernmental agreement and the National Water Commission will be a most important contributor to this process,” he said.

“The inaugural Chairman of the National Water Commission will be Mr Ken Matthews, who brings to the position relevant experience as a former Secretary of the Commonwealth Departments of
Transport and Regional Services and Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Mr Matthews has also been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Commission.

“The three Australian Government nominated Commissioners are Professor Peter Cullen, Mr David Trebeck and Mr Peter Corish.  The three Commissioners nominated by the States and Territories are Ms Chloe Munro, Dr John Radcliffe, and Dr Walter Cox.

“Each Commissioner has been selected for the contribution they can make as individuals to the work of the National Water Commission,” Mr Howard said.

For more information go the National Water Commission's new website at http://www.nwc.gov.au/
 

Young extension providers invited to national workshops
The Australasia Pacific Extension Network (APEN) is calling on young extension providers in rural industries and natural resource management and employers and funding bodies to take part in a series of national workshops and conferences in April, May and June.

The Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) is the major sponsor for this event, which organisers say is shaping up to be an “exciting, memorable and transformational series of events for extension in Australia.”

Extension is the profession of facilitating change in rural Australia, covering roles such as field officer, trainers, Landcare and natural resource management facilitators, consultants, farm advisers and industry development officers.

Organisers say the program was inspired by the 2003 APEN National Forum in Tasmania, and from APEN's Policy Workshop in Sydney in late 2004 which identified three major “realities”:

• the critical importance of extension to the future of rural industries and to the management of Australia's natural resources;
• the large number of young people entering the extension profession in both production and natural resource management arenas; and
• the lack of support for young people in extension – in terms of job security, professional development, information, expertise, resources, mentoring and networks.

Each participant will learn more about themselves, and about extension, and use this to develop a personalized professional development plan which is presented to their peers.

Half a day of these professional development workshops will be dedicated to a focus group “Pathways for young extension professionals”.  Employers, funding bodies, extension specialists and extension users will join the focus group to identify issues facing young people in extension and possible strategies for addressing these issues.

In June, representatives from each of these workshops will join other APEN members at its national search conference "Leading the future - nurturing young people in extension" to build on the findings from the series of regional workshops to develop policies for addressing the issues facing young people in extension.

The program has four key objectives:

• to engage extension professionals (under 35 years of age) in agriculture and natural resource management and seek out issues of concern to them in their profession;
• to include the issues of concern for young extension professionals in the National Extension Policy Framework;
• to provide leadership training for young extension professionals; and
• to provide increased support for young extension professionals through APEN.

For more information visit the website at: www.ruraldevelopmentservices.com/apen_youth.htm
 
 

River Murray Catchment Water Management Plan now online
The River Murray Catchment Water Management Plan (which covers the SA MDB) can now be downloaded or viewed from the River Murray Catchment Water Management Board web site.

Click on the "About Us" section which lists the Board's published plans. Also available on the site are the Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan for the region and the relevant investment strategies for the SA MDB (click on the SA MDB INRM Group link).

These  documents represent the accredited natural resource management plans  for the SA Murray- Darling Basin.

To download the documents go to www.rivermurray.sa.gov.au

ends