Refuge sites will be the focus of watering events to support southern bell frogs, native fish and waterbirds. Watering events will aim to restore a more natural flow pattern to support a robust food web and other system functions.
Further rainfall is needed to replenish storages in the catchment. Efforts will focus on protection of tributary events and other management practices to maintain habitat for water-dependent species.
Water managers will focus their efforts on supporting native fish populations in the Severn, Dumaresq, Macintyre and upper Barwon rivers. While the of deliveries is limited in the catchment, some environmental needs can be met by regulated water deliveries for consumptive uses.
Water managers will respond to conditions as they evolve in order to support native fish, waterbirds and vegetation communities. Building resilience in a highly variable climate will be the focus of watering efforts.
The focus of water managers will be to optimise the outcomes of recent tributary flows with a particular focus on creating opportunities for recovery now that the drought appears to be relenting.
Maintaining drought refuges will be the focus of water managers in the Lachlan this year. If water becomes available, flows may be delivered to support native fish at locations across the catchment.
In 2019–20, water managers will focus on protecting key water dependent assets such as native fish communities and supporting the resilience of rivers and wetlands to ensure they are ready to respond when rain and river flows return to the catchment.
With drought in the northern basin now in its third year, environmental demands are increasing, particularly in relation to connectivity and native fish. In 2019–20, the focus of water managers will be to minimise unrecoverable losses of ecological assets and functionality.
This year, water managers plan to boost productivity and build system-scale resilience where water is available. If dry conditions continue into extreme dry, the focus will shift to providing drought refuges and avoiding irretrievable loss of species and habitat.
