Our enviro water staff were in the northern basin last month having a look at the Condamine–Balonne, Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments.
It’s been dry for a long time in this part of the basin. Difficult conditions and a largely unregulated system mean environmental water holders have had very few natural flows helping to carry their water to places that need it.
In these conditions, water holders generally focus on supporting basic ecological functions.
A good example of this approach is directing water to drought refuges when possible. They’re the green spots or staging posts where basin critters can stop off and get a drink, and they include the permanent waterholes along otherwise drying rivers.
Our recent trip also took in the Narran Lakes, an internationally recognised site, near Lightning Ridge. The smaller lakes that provide critical habitat for large bird breeding events in wetter years are showing signs of stress.
Walking through Back Lake at the Narran Lake Nature Reserve in north-west NSW, November 2015
Over five days, our trip included sites in and around St George, Goondiwindi, Dalby and Toowoomba, taking a look at water storages, river conditions, water availability and the state of vegetation and wildlife.
Stormy skies over Beardmore Dam on the Balonne River near St George in Queensland, November 2015
Looking at Marsh Club-rush with NSW colleagues in the internationally-recognised Gwydir wetlands near Moree in NSW, November 2015
The trip was an important way to build local knowledge into our early planning as we look ahead to the kind of environmental watering that should be given priority in 2016-17.
Have a read of the priorities we recommended for this year (2015-16) and we’ve posted some extra photos from this trip on our Facebook.
