The environmental flow, the controlled release of water from a dam or weir to maintain the health of the environment, will be used to supplement high river flows that have pushed water into parts of the floodplain and its wetlands during July.
North Central Catchment Management Authority chief executive Brad Drust said that while, before river regulation, natural flows would have been higher and stayed for longer, environmental flows gave NCCMA the opportunity to “help Mother Nature finish what she started”.
“The recent inflows have been a great start in helping protect the floodplain wetlands from a possible El Niño this summer,” said Mr Drust.
“We now have an opportunity to make it even better.
“Managing an efficient environmental flow from now until November allows us to piggyback on the recent high-river flows and top-up wetlands.”
Mr Drust said the flow will begin in late July or early August.
“It will provide much-needed water to more than 10 wetlands including the jewel in the crown, Reedy Lagoon, which had minimal inflows in July,” he said.
Water will move from one wetland to another via naturally occurring creeks, which may lead to the closure of sections of the forest’s access paths to protect their condition, and ensure visitor safety.
Gunbower Forest’s main paths are not expected to be impacted.
Mr Drust said there will still be many areas within the forest for visitors to enjoy.
“Gunbower Forest is open for business and spring is a great time to see the forest come to life.
“This wetland flow will make the forest an amazing place to visit in spring and summer.”
The flow is authorised by the Victorian Environmental Water Holder in line with its seasonal watering plan, which can be found at www.vewh.vic.gov.au
For updates on this project, visit https://tinyurl.com/b78t799z
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