More than 150 gigalitres of water recovered for the environment will be delivered to hundreds of wetlands along the Murrumbidgee River, benefiting the Murray system as far downstream as South Australia’s Lower Lakes and Coorong.

 

In the largest use of Commonwealth environment water to date, the environmental flows will include more than 100 gigalitres of Commonwealth water, with additional contributions from the NSW Government and the Murray-Darling Basin Authority’s Living Murray program.

 

Environmental water will build on the benefits from recent river flows in spring 2010, which filled many wetlands for the first time in 10 years. Watering these wetlands now means they will stay full through winter and spring providing vegetation with their best chance to flourish.

 

The flow into the Murrumbidgee River will be delivered through releases from Burrinjuck and Blowering Dams over approximately 10 days commencing on 14 June with assistance from the NSW State Water Corporation and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.

 

The watering action is supported by local landholders with several private water holders contributing water to the Commonwealth and to NSW as part of the release. The action uses water set aside for the environment and will not affect water allocations for local irrigators or stock and domestic users.