Environmental water to revitalise Gol Gol Lake

For the first time, licensed environmental water will flow into Gol Gol Lake, marking a significant milestone in the restoration of the wetland.

In 2024, new infrastructure was installed to facilitate the managed delivery of licensed environmental water to the lake.

Commencing in March 2025, up to 6 gigalitres of water for the environment will be delivered to Lake Gol Gol to improve the condition of waterbird nesting habitat and support the regeneration of floodplain trees.

Mark Henderson, Environmental Water Management Officer at the New South Wales Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, explains that Gol Gol is a naturally ephemeral lake that was once much wetter.

'We've been able to get a little bit of water into the lake during flood events, allowing us to deliver water to the site about every 6 to 7 years over the past 15 years,' he says. However, this has not been sufficient to maintain the lake's ecological health.

To address this, the department, in partnership with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, has co-funded a flume gate.

This new infrastructure acts as a regulator and a water metering system, enabling the delivery of licensed environmental water even when there are no high flow conditions in the river.

'It's a game changer,' Mr Henderson commented. 'It gives environmental water managers more capacity to deliver water for the environment into the wetland when it needs it most, not just when there's high flow in the river.'

The delivery of water for the environment is the next step in a collaborative effort to restore the wetland. The Gol Gol Community Reference Group has been working to improve the Gol Gol wetlands since the 1990s.

Ian 'Curly' Roberts, the Gol Gol Community Reference Group chair, welcomed the ability to deliver water for the environment during critical periods for specific environmental purposes, such as bird breeding programs.

'The new system will ensure that water allocations are recorded, registered, and measured, something that was previously not possible. I'm extremely pleased to see the condition that the wetlands are in. We're seeing the regeneration and restoration of the native flora, whether it's lignum, which will then flow on to increase waterbird breeding programs at the next wetting event,' Mr Roberts said.

Watch our video below to see firsthand how collaboration can achieve positive environmental outcomes.

Gol Gol Lake