An environmental flow from Lake Eppalock will give the waterway a helping hand, delivering a burst of water designed to mimic the natural “freshes” the river would have received after heavy rain.
The flow, beginning the week of September 14, will release about 4800 megalitres over three days as it makes its way downstream towards the Murray River.
While it might sound like a lot of water, it is well below the Campaspe’s estimated capacity of between 9000 and 11,000 megalitres a day.
So there is no need to reach for the gumboots just yet.
The flow is expected to remain within the river’s banks, with the release gradually ramped up and down to provide a controlled boost to the waterway.
The NCCMA environmental flows manager Darren White said the flow was particularly important following a wet August.
“More than 100,000 megalitres of water flowed into Lake Eppalock since the start of August, very little of it reaching the downstream section of the waterway,” he said.
“While the Campaspe benefited from inflows from tributaries downstream of Lake Eppalock, it didn’t get as much as it should have.”
This is why these flows are so important.
The construction of Lake Eppalock changed the Campaspe’s natural flow patterns by capturing water which would previously have continued downstream.
Environmental water is used to restore those patterns partly, providing regular low flows to keep pools connected, as well as larger temporary freshes such as the one planned for September.
These flows do more than simply put extra water into the river.
It moves sediment and leaf litter, improve aquatic habitat and encourage native fish and platypuses to move through the waterway searching for food and breeding opportunities.
It also restores high-quality riparian vegetation corridors capable of resisting flood-related changes to the river channel, including erosion of the riverbed and banks.
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