Basin Officials Committee/MDBA Work Program
List of SDL adjustment and constraint measure proposals agreed by
Basin Officials Committee for business case development
Chowilla floodplain TLM proposal / South Australia / The Living Murray (TLM) project. / SS11 South Australian Murray / Supply measure / Business case summary submitted for consideration 23 December 2014. / Nil. Funding has been provided through the TLM program of agreed works. / Currently unknown
Riverine recovery project / South Australia / Potential wetland evaporative savings through a range of activities that restore wetlands along the SA Murray River. For example, re-introducing wetting and drying cycles with the aim of achieving improved wetland habitats and water quality. / SS11 South Australian Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted for consideration 23 December 2014. / Nil / Currently unknown
South East Flows Restoration Project / South Australia / The Project will use a combination of newly constructed drains and widened existing drains within the Upper South East drainage system to divert additional water that currently flows to the sea from the Blackford Drain in the Upper South East into the Coorong South Lagoon.
The diverted water will provide significant environmental outcomes for en route wetlands of the Upper South East through the provision of additional water of suitable quality, as well as salinity improvements in the Coorong South Lagoon. / SS11 South Australian Murray / Supply Measure / Business case submitted for consideration 23 December 2014. / Nil / Currently unknown
Belsar Yungera floodplain management project / Victoria / Installation of pumps and regulators to provide sustained floodplain inundation under low and average flow conditions. / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 14 January 2015. / $55.63 million / Currently unknown
Burra Creek floodplain management proposal / Victoria / Construction of levees in Burra North and South and two regulators in Burra North to retain water on the floodplain and improve environmental outcomes. / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 14 January 2015. / $12.14million / Currently unknown
Gunbower Forest TLM proposal / Victoria / 'The Living Murray' (TLM) project. / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case documents referred for consideration 22 September 2014. / Nil. Funding has been provided through the TLM program of agreed works. / Potentially greater than 20 GL/year
Gunbower National Park floodplain management project / Victoria / Construction of 50m channel for water delivery from Torrumbarry weir to the forest to water floodplain in upper Gunbower National Park at regulated river levels. Includes and offtake regulator with vertical slot fishway and turtle ramp to control releases; a road crossing, drainage works at Baggot Creek and levee improvements to remove artificial flow barriers / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 14 January 2015. / $28.45million / Potentially greater than 20 GL/year
Guttrum and Benwell State Forests floodplain enhancement project / Victoria / Construction of works and minor channel works to improve duration of floodplain inundation. / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 14 January 2015. / $6.5 million / Currently unknown
Hattah Lakes north floodplain management project / Victoria / Construction works designed to capitalise on existing 'The Living Murray' works, comprising additional physical infrastructure works at key locations on the floodplain designed to provide enhance inundation extent. / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 14 January 2015. / $8.81 million / Currently unknown
Hattah Lakes TLM proposal / Victoria / The Living Murray (TLM) project, / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case documents referred for consideration 22 September 2014. / Nil. Funding has been provided through the TLM program of agreed works. / Potentially greater than 20 GL/year
Lindsay Island (Stage 1) TLM proposal / Victoria / The Living Murray (TLM) project, currently under construction / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case documents referred for consideration 22 September 2014. / Nil. Funding has been provided through the TLM program of agreed works. / Currently unknown
Lindsay Island (Stage 2) floodplain management project / Victoria / Construction of a regulator across Lindsay River at Berribee Homestead and associated works at 6 sites (small regulators, access crossings, levee banks) to inundate mid and upper reaches of Lindsay Island floodplain at regulated river level. / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 14 January 2015. / $72.83million / Potentially greater than 20 GL/year
Mulcra Island TLM proposal / Victoria / The Living Murray (TLM) project, currently under construction / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case documents referred for consideration 22 September 2014. / Nil. Funding has been provided through the TLM program of agreed works. / Currently unknown
Nyah floodplain management project / Victoria / Installation of pumps, levees, culverts and regulating structures to improve floodplain inundation. / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 14 January 2015. / $10.94million / Currently unknown
Vinifera floodplain management project / Victoria / Installation of a pump, levee, flood runner cut-off, culverts and regulating structures to improve floodplain inundation. / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 14 January 2015. / $9.12million / Currently unknown
Wallpolla Island floodplain management project / Victoria / Construction of integrated works including a regulator on Wallpolla Creek, weirs, levees, access crossings and alteration of river heights to improve inundation of Wallpolla floodplain and provide an increase in flowing habitat. / SS2 Victorian Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 14 January 2015. / $59.52million / Potentially greater than 20 GL/year
Flexible Rates of Fall in River Levels Downstream of Hume Dam / Victoria / New South Wales / Potential rule change option:
Allow Hume releases to be reduced more quickly when flows have not been elevated for an extended period beforehand, with the water saved released at a different point in time or in a different flow pattern that would provide additional environmental benefits. / SS2 Victorian Murray, and
SS14 New South Wales Murray / Supply measure / Approved (5 June 2015) to be developed into a business case. / Nil / Currently unknown
Hume Dam airspace management and pre-release rules / Victoria / New South Wales / Potential rule change options:
- Pre-releases executed to better contribute to meeting flow targets at Barmah-Millewa Forest.
- Translucent operations that ‘pass through’ inflows from the dam when managing airspace target levels. This type of operations would provide more natural variability of flows below Hume Dam and help meet environmental flow targets at Barmah-Millewa Forest.
SS14 New South Wales Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 1 April 2015. / Nil / Currently unknown
Barmah-Millewa forest environmental water allocation / Victoria /New South Wales / Potential rule change option:
Vary the rules associated with the water set aside by Victoria and NSW in an environmental account (BMFEWA) to water the Barmah-Millewa Forest proposed to allow the use of other environmental entitlements to target the environmental requirements specified in the Basin Plan. / SS2 Victorian Murray, and
SS14 New South Wales Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 1 April 2015 / Nil / Currently unknown
Alternative supply systems for effluent
creeks – Murrumbidgee River / New South Wales / These systems are not efficient carriers and efficiency works could improve delivery. Potential water savings arise from piping of licensed domestic and stock supply. / SS14 NSW Murray
SS15 Murrumbidgee (potentially all valleys) / Supply measure / Approved (5 June 2015) to be developed into a business case. / $65- $124.2 million / Potentially more than 20 GL/year
Computer Aided River Management (CARM) Murrumbidgee / New South Wales / CARM is a series of operational tools to better process river data such as flows, extractions and releases and to forecast flows and weather related flow trends. / SS15 Murrumbidgee / Supply measure / Feasibility study (Phase 1) approved (11 December 2014) to be developed into a business case (Phase 2). / Nil – already funded by Water for Rivers. / Potentially more than 20 GL/year
Improved Flow Management Works at the
Murrumbidgee River - Yanco Creek Offtake / New South Wales / Increase weir pool capacity and operational control of Yanco regulator and weir pool to the benefit of the environment providing a potential SDL adjustment / SS15 Murrumbidgee / Supply measure / Business case submitted 12 August 2015. / $50.5 million / Potentially more than 10-15 GL/year
Nimmie Caira Infrastructure Modifications Proposal / New South Wales / Reconfigure water delivery infrastructure to more effectively deliver environmental flows to the Nimmie-Caira floodplain and other parts of the Lowbidgee, and deliver flows through the floodplain back to the Murrumbidgee River. / SS15 Murrumbidgee / Supply measure / Business case submitted 12 August 2015. / $9.25-9.75 million / Potentially 20-50 GL/year
SDL offsets in the Lower Murray NSW / New South Wales / An integrated package of works, (including Locks 8 and 9 weir pool manipulation Carrs, Capitts and Bunberoo Creeks connectivity, Frenchmans Creek fish passage) to restore and enhance river habitat in the Lower Murray region of New South Wales. / SS14 NSW Murray / Supply measure / Business case submitted 12 August 2015. / $28.6 million / Potentially less than 5 GL/year
Snowy Hydro Licence amendments to call environmental water / New South Wales / Amendment to Snowy Hydro licence in 2011 allow the water recovered by the Murray River Increased Flows to be held and called out. Previously the release of the water was at the discretion of Snowy Hydro and was generally at times suited to Snowy Hydro’s commercial outcomes. This water can now be called out to meet environmental outcomes. / SS14 NSW Murray / Supply measure / Feasibility study (Phase 1) approved (17 March 2015) to be developed into a business case (Phase 2). / Nil / Currently unknown
TLM environmental works and measures - Koondrook-Perricoota Forest Flood Enhancement proposal / New South Wales / The Living Murray (TLM) project. / SS14 New South Wales Murray / Supply measure / Business case documents referred for consideration 8 December 2014. / Nil. Funding has been provided through the TLM program of agreed works. / Currently unknown
Water Management Works Millewa and Yanga National Parks / New South Wales / A suite of works aimed at delivering a more appropriate watering regime to core wetland communities within these national parks. / SS14 NSW Murray
SS15 Murrumbidgee / Supply measure / Feasibility study (Phase 1) approved (17 March 2015) to be developed into a business case (Phase 2). / $22.87 million / Potentially more than 20 GL/year
Goulburn key focus area / Victoria / Investigation of opportunities to address physical and policy constraints to the delivery of higher regulated flows (up to 40,000 ML/day at Shepparton). Investigations will include the potential effects of higher flows on third parties and mitigation options to address negative impacts (including easements and/or infrastructure) to allow the delivery of these flows (to support improved river and wetland health outcomes). / n/a / Constraint measure / Business case (Phase 2) - agreed by Basin Ministers to progress to business case development on 17 October 2014. / Estimated by MDBA $30- $46 million (assuming levee upgrades) / Not applicable
Gwydir key focus area / New South Wales / Exploring options to allow greater ability to deliver environmental water to wetlands on the Gingham watercourse, lower Gwydir River and Mallowa watercourse. / n/a / Constraint measure / Business case (Phase 2) - agreed by Basin Ministers to progress to business case development on 17 October 2014. / Uncertain at this stage of development / Not applicable
Hume to Yarrawonga key focus area / Victoria/
New South Wales / Investigation of opportunities to address physical and policy constraints to the delivery of higher regulated flows (up to 40,000ML/day from Hume Dam). Investigations will include the potential effects of higher flows on third parties and mitigation options to address negative impacts (including easements and/or infrastructure) to allow the delivery of these flows (to support improved river and wetland health outcomes). / n/a / Constraint measure / Business case (Phase 2) - agreed by Basin Ministers to progress to business case development on 17 October 2014. / Estimated by MDBA $10- $16 million / Not applicable
Lower Darling key focus area / New South Wales / Investigation of opportunities to address physical and policy constraints to the delivery of higher regulated flows (up to 16,000 ML/day at Weir 32). Investigations will include the potential effects of higher flows on third parties and mitigation options to address negative impacts (including easements and/or infrastructure) to allow the delivery of these flows (to support improved river and wetland health outcomes). / n/a / Constraint measure / Business case (Phase 2) - agreed by Basin Ministers to progress to business case development on 17 October 2014. / Estimated by MDBA $4- $6 million / Not applicable
Murrumbidgee key focus area / New South Wales / Investigation of opportunities to address physical and policy constraints to the delivery of higher regulated flows (up to 48,500 ML/day at Wagga Wagga). Investigations will include the potential effects of higher flows on third parties and mitigation options to address negative impacts (including easements and/or infrastructure) to allow the delivery of these flows (to support improved river and wetland health outcomes). / n/a / Constraint measure / Business case (Phase 2) - agreed by Basin Ministers to progress to business case development on 17 October 2014. / Estimated by MDBA $60- $73 million / Not applicable
South Australian Murray key focus area / South Australia / Investigation of opportunities to address physical and policy constraints to the delivery of higher regulated flows (up to 80,000 ML/day at the SA border). Investigations will include the potential effects of higher flows on third parties and mitigation options to address negative impacts (including easements and/or infrastructure) to allow the delivery of these flows (to support improved river and wetland health outcomes). / n/a / Constraint measure / Business case (Phase 2) - agreed by Basin Ministers to progress to business case development on 17 October 2014. / Estimated by MDBA $5 million / Not applicable
Yarrawonga to Wakool junction key focus area / Victoria/New South Wales / Investigation of opportunities to address physical and policy constraints to the delivery of higher flows of up to 65,000 ML/d downstream of Yarrawonga Weir. Investigations will include the potential effects of higher flows on third parties and mitigation options to address negative impacts (including easements and/or infrastructure) to allow the delivery of these flows (to support improved river and wetland health outcomes). / n/a / Constraint measure / Business case (Phase 2) - agreed by Basin Ministers to progress to business case development on 17 October 2014. / Estimated by MDBA $105-$218 million / Not applicable
Notes:
1.An SDL resource unit is a water planning term that refers to a region of water resources, generally based on catchments boundaries.
2.This table is updated from time-to-time as projects pass into the business case development phase and beyond.
3.There are a number of NSW projects pending consideration for business case development.