Northern region

The northern region’s vital network of rivers, wetlands and floodplains provide homes for ancient river red gums and a diversity of other plants and animals.

Improving native fish populations is an important objective for environmental watering in the northern region. The endangered Murray hardyhead lives in wetlands in the Mallee and North Central CMA areas. Murray cod, silver perch and golden perch benefit from environmental flows in the Goulburn River, lower Broken Creek, Loddon River, Pyramid Creek, Gunbower Creek and Mullaroo Creek.

The vast network of wetlands across the northern region support many species of waterbirds that can benefit from environmental water deliveries. For example, magpie geese use Lake Cullen near Kerang to breed after releases of environmental water, and breeding pairs of brolga can be found at Moodies Swamp near Shepparton.

The giant bullfrog and the growling grass frog can be found in floodplain wetlands in the lower Murray River and the Hattah Lakes.

Native vegetation has also benefited from environmental watering across the northern region including river swamp wallaby grass in Barmah Forest, the water nymph in Black Swamp and the jerry-jerry at Lake Yando.

River red gums and black box are found beside rivers and on floodplains across the northern region and these species provide habitat for birds, reptiles, mammals and insects.

Water holder partnerships and collaboration

The VEWH holds Victorian environmental entitlements for water recovered under interstate projects and agreements - Living Murray and River Murray Increased Flow (RMIF) entitlements - and these require coordinated decision-making about where they are used. The primary objective of Living Murray entitlements is to support Murray icon sites, which include the Barmah Forest, Gunbower Forest, Hattah Lakes and the Lindsay-Mulcra-Wallpolla islands in Victoria. RMIF also supports environmental objectives along the Murray system in Victoria, NSW and South Australia. The Southern Connected Basin Environmental Watering Committee decides where the Living Murray allocation, RMIF and River Murray Unregulated Flow (RMUF) should be used and guides overall delivery coordination across the southern basin.

The VEWH partners with the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office to optimise the benefits of water for the environment held by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) and delivered in Victoria. Delivery of the Living Murray’s and the Commonwealth’s environmental Water Holdings to meet Victorian environmental flows objectives can be found in this year’s seasonal watering plan.

Water for the environment delivered through northern Victorian waterways can often be re-used to achieve further environmental benefits downstream, known as ‘return flows’. If return flows are not re-used at Victorian environmental sites, VEWH, the Living Murray and CEWH return flows continue to flow across the border to South Australia, where they will be used to provide environmental benefits along the lower Murray River, floodplain sites and in the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth icon site.

The VEWH may order or authorise relevant waterway managers to order Living Murray and Commonwealth water for the environment for environmental outcomes at downstream (non-Victorian) sites. This occurs under river operating rules that help improve environmental outcomes while maintaining the reliability of entitlements for all water users. In previous years, this has included deliveries to the lower Darling River and Great Darling Anabranch and orders for delivery to the Murray River from Lake Victoria and Hume Reservoir.

Murray system-scale planning and Traditional Owners in the southern Murray-Darling Basin

Environmental water holders and managers in the southern Murray-Darling Basin consider the objectives and cultural values of Traditional Owners in the Murray-Darling Basin and seek to support these values where possible. The health of the Murray-Darling Basin benefits from meaningful partnerships with Traditional Owners and their involvement in water management and planning, coordination and delivery.

In April 2021, a forum on Latji Latji Country in Mildura brought together Traditional Owner representatives from many parts of the southern Murray-Darling Basin to share information about the health of Country and to discuss the preferred outcomes of the management of environmental flows. Participants produced the Murray Lower Darling River Indigenous Nations’ Statement on environmental water use which is important for understanding Traditional Owner objectives and desired outcomes.