Water will bring new life to Hattah Lakes

Monday, 3 May 2010

Eleven billion litres of water has started to flow into Hattah Lakes to inject new life into the world-renowned freshwater lakes and provide drought refuge for protected species.

The water is being delivered to this priority site under the Victorian government’s environmental watering program for a huge variety of native plants and animals, including 47 species of waterbird.

Department of Sustainability and Environment Executive Director of Sustainable Water, Environment and Innovation Dr Jane Doolan said the water has been made available from the Commonwealth environmental water holdings, The Living Murray program and a donation of water from the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF). 

"This year’s watering will complement the results achieved from the six billion litres of environmental water delivered in spring 2009, and provide the building blocks for watering this spring," Dr Doolan said.

"Water delivered to the Hattah lakes within the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park last year breathed new life into the area. Waterbirds such as Australasian shovelers, hardhead ducks and great egrets were observed as well as the Peron’s tree frog and spotted marsh frog. The River Red Gums also responded well."

Through the Victorian Government’s environmental watering program 30 billion litres will be delivered to 11 priority sites in northern Victoria over the next few months. Of this, 18 billion litres is being provided from the Commonwealth environmental water holdings.

"In times like this, the Victorian Government’s environmental watering program focuses on creating and maintaining a set of drought refuges in Victoria, preventing the extinction of threatened species, and avoiding irreversible loss including that of River Red Gums," Dr Doolan said.

Water is currently being delivered to Lake Wallawalla, an important wetland and River Red Gum in the Murray-Sunset National Park, 85 kilometres west of Mildura. The 12 billion litres, provided by the Commonwealth’s environmental water holdings, began flowing in April and will fill the lake for the first time in more than a decade.

The watering at Lake Wallawalla, which is part of a Living Murray icon site, aims to inundate stressed River Red Gums and Black Box trees and create a significant and extended drought refuge for a number of threatened species. 

The number of sites to receive environmental water in 2010 has increased from last year due to a higher allocation of water against the Victorian environmental entitlements, more water recovered through The Living Murray program, Commonwealth’s environmental water holdings and a donation from the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Background information

The environmental water to be delivered to sites in northern Victoria during autumn 2010 has been made available by various sources, including approximately:

• 10 billion litres from Victorian environmental entitlements 
• 18 billion litres from the Commonwealth’s environmental water holdings, as announced in January by the Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency and Water, Senator the Hon. Penny Wong
• 9.5 billion litres from The Living Murray program
• a donation of 400 million litres from the Australian Conservation Foundation as part of the ‘Just Add Water’ campaign.

The Victorian government's environmental watering program is co-ordinated by the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). The Mallee Catchment Management Authority is managing the delivery of the environmental water to the lakes within the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, in partnership with Parks Victoria and water corporations.

Water from Victorian environmental entitlements has been, or will be, delivered this autumn to Lake Nyah, Kinnairds Swamp, Blacks Swamp, Lake Leaghur, Merbein Common, Wallpolla, Richardson’s Lagoon, Liparoo and Carina Bend on the Murray River.

Watering at these sites has been made possible because of the additional water provided to the program for priority sites from the Commonwealth environmental water holdings, The Living Murray program and ACF.

The Living Murray is a joint initiative funded by the New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian, Australian Capital Territory and the Commonwealth governments, coordinated by the Murray-Darling Basin Authority.

The water being delivered across northern Victoria is from environmental entitlements and water shares, legally set aside or purchased to protect rivers and wetlands. They are subject to the same allocations as irrigators and using them does not affect anybody else's water allocations.

Media contact: Kim Payne (03) 9637 8270