2021 Releases of Water for the Environment
Water for the environment will be released in the Thomson River and Macalister River in autumn. These rivers have large dams on them, so once naturally occurring high autumn rain is captured for use in the warmer months. By delivering water for the environment to the Thomson and Macalister rivers, we are looking to replicate these natural flow events and provide opportunities for native fish species to successfully breed.
April water for the environment release
Although there are also important habitat and vegetation benefits arising from this delivery, the primary target is Australian grayling. Autumn is the time that Australian grayling, along with some of our other native migratory fish species, undertake downstream migration. This flow delivery acts as a trigger for downstream migration and spawning, which is really important for maintaining and improving their population in our river systems.
May water for the environment release
This freshening flow delivered a bit later in the season acts as a cue for migration in several migratory fish species, the primary targets being tupong and Australian Bass. Some species will use this flow to move upstream (e.g. Tupong and Australian Bass), while others will head downstream (e.g. lamprey and eel species). Having fish species migrate upstream into our river systems is really important for recruitment into the population. As for the April fresh, this fresh also provides benefits to vegetation and in improving the quality of instream habitat.
Thomson River
- 17 April to 29 April, the peak flow of 800 ML/day from 19 April to 25 April
- 21 May to 2 June, the peak flow of 800 ML/day from 22 May to 28 May
Macalister River
- 10 April to 18 April, the peak flow of 350 ML/day from 11 April to 15 April
- 29 May to 11 June, the peak flow of 700 ML/day from 2 June to 6 June
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Learn more about why we release water for the environment.
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