UPPER BARWON: WATER YEAR IN REVIEW

Water for the environment is water allocated and released specifically to improve the health of rivers, creeks, wetlands, and floodplains. Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CMA) is responsible for operating the Environmental Water Reserve in the Corangamite region on behalf of the Victorian Environmental Water Holder.

In the environmental water world, a water year is the same as a financial year.  At the end of each water year, we reflect on the environmental water activities that took place in the upper Barwon River and the feedback we’ve heard from community members and partner agencies.  

It is clear from our conversations with the local community that people have a strong connection with the platypus that call the Barwon River home.  This is why a priority for Corangamite CMA was to maintain flow in the east and west branches of the upper Barwon over the warmer months of 2023/24. When rivers and creeks run dry for extended periods, platypus habitat is reduced, they are no longer able to move freely up and down the river and they are forced to compete for resources such as food. This is why environmental water is critical in supporting the Barwon River platypus population, particularly during summer and autumn or when we are in drought.  

For more information on how environmental water supports Victoria’s platypus population we suggest you check out the fantastic video below created by the Victorian Environmental Water Holder in 2016, "Platypus return to our rivers".  

Highlights of the 2023/24 water year include: 

• On the east branch of the upper Barwon River, releases of water for the environment started on 7 March 2024 and continued until 30 June 2024 (a total of 116 days).  
• On the west branch of the upper Barwon River, releases of water for the environment started on 2 February 2024 and continued until 11 June 2024 (a total of 131 days).  
• A total of 218 megalitres (ML) of water were released down the east branch. 
• A total of 448.79 megalitres (ML) of water were released down the west branch.  
• At no time during the 2023/24 water year was the West Barwon Reservoir full and spilling. 
• Rainfall in the upper Barwon was above average for three months of the year and below average for nine months, including July, August and September - a time of the year when rainfall is usually at its highest.  

Every water year in the upper Barwon River is different.  The volume and timing of releases of water for the environment depend on rainfall patterns, natural river flow, water storage levels and minimum passing flow rules and the amount of water for the environment that is carried over from the previous year. 

If you would like to be notified when releases of water for the environment are happening in the 2024/25 water year, please get in touch with Rose Jackson, Project Officer-Estuaries & Environmental Water rose.jackson@ccma.vic.gov.au  

Corangamite CMA manages three Environmental Entitlements in the Corangamite region: the Moorabool River, upper Barwon River, and lower Barwon Wetlands. To read more about water for the environment in our region, click here.