Wednesday 10 September 2014

The Victorian environmental watering program

Denis FlettChairperson

Victorian Environmental Water Holder

Overview

• What is environmental watering?• Why is it important?

• The Victorian Environmental Water Holder• Short history and role

• The Victorian environmental watering program• Partnerships• Planning • Challenges

• Shared benefits of environmental watering• Why and how

• Releasing environmental water from reservoirs when necessary to improve the health of waterways

• The aim is to help plants and creatures survive, feed and breed

• Environmental water releases mimic some of the flows that would have occurred naturally before major reservoirs were built

What is environmental watering?

Why healthy waterways matter

Short history of environmental water

1997 Murray-Darling Basin Cap on diversions introduced

2003 The Living Murray program introduced (to recover 500GL for the River Murray)

2005 Victorian Environmental Water Reserve and regional sustainable water strategies introduced

2007 Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder established

2011 Victorian Environmental Water Holder established on 1 July 2011

• Plan for seasonal watering (collate CMA planning)

• Liaise with other water holders to ensure coordinated use of all environmental water

• Make decisions on watering actions, carryover and trade

• Authorise waterway managers to implement watering

• Review, learn, report, adapt

Role of the VEWH

Werribee Estuary

Environmental watering partnerships

10

Where is our environmental water?

MelbourneMelbourne

• VEWH is funded by the ‘Environmental Contribution’ (levy on water corporations for sustainable water management initiatives)

• 630 GL approximate long-term average water availability

• Total market value of ~$1 billion

• Number of priority watering actions scoped each year:

Facts and figures

Watering year 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Priority watering actions scoped 109 122 222 233

Fully or partially achieved 90% 91% 81% ?

Environmental water planning

1. Identify environmental values and objectives!

2. Identify long-term watering requirements

3. Identify watering actions for a range of scenarios each year in each system (Scenario planning)

4. Be ‘implementation ready’

5. Make watering decisions as conditions unfold

13

Planning framework in Victoria

/other watering plans

A challenge for environmental watering:

Maximise environmental outcomes while optimising shared benefits

Examples of ‘tweaked’ watering actions for shared benefit:

Timing of freshes in the Goulburn River tweaked for better recreational fishing outcomes in Murray cod season

Timing of Mallee wetland waterings adapted to manage salinity and water quality

Shared benefits – what have we done so far?

CMAs incorporate different interests in regional planning

We would like to hear from you.

Focus questions this afternoon:

• Considering shared benefits of environmental watering in Victoria: What might success look like? Describe examples if they exist already

• What actions could we take to support the achievement of shared benefits of environmental watering in Victoria?

• If you were to choose the major priorities for the Victorian environmental watering program in the next five years, what would they be and why?

Shared benefits – how can we improve?