The Tarago River has received 0.4 billion litres (400 million litres) from Tarago Reservoir, the first time the river has received water from its 3 billion litre entitlement since it was established in 2009.

The release has been approved by the Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH), in line with its Seasonal Water Plan. The VEWH is the independent statutory body responsible for holding and managing Victoria’s environmental water entitlements.


Manager of Catchments, David Ryan, said the flows would help address the impact that damming the Tarago, to create Tarago Reservoir, had on the health of the waterway and the plants and animals that live there.

The Tarago River contains a significant population of Australian grayling, a migratory, native fish that is classified as vulnerable by the Federal Government. Juvenile fish develop in Westernport Bay and migrate upstream in spring in response to higher flows.

“The dam has altered the natural flow of the Tarago, which impacts the migration habitat and food source for protected animals such as Macquarie perch and platypus,” said Mr Ryan.


“The flows are being used strategically to help juvenile grayling move upstream by mimicking spring flows that would have occurred naturally prior to the construction of Tarago Dam.


“The 0.4 billion litres in flows represents a fraction of what is harvested into Tarago Reservoir each year, but they are a very important part of improving the health of the waterway.

 

Significant rain in the past 12 months has meant that this is the first time that water from the Tarago environmental entitlement has been available to use for environmental purposes.

 

Further details about the annual plan for environmental watering in the Tarago River can be found in the VEWH Seasonal Watering Plan 2011-12 Open this link in new window.