Introduction << BACK TO CONTENTS Rain or shine, many of Victoria’s rivers, floodplains and wetlands constantly experience an artifical drought. Flood water can’t always reach wetlands because of constructed barriers Before European settlement, when rivers flooded, water would flow over river banks and cross the floodplain to soak natural wetlands. Today when floods occur, dams, levee banks, weirs, roads and other structures stop water from reaching some wetlands. This is why today, even when it rains, water still needs to be pumped to these wetlands so that plants and river animals get the drinks they need to thrive. Flood marks on trees in Broken Creek, by Keith Ward Goulburn Broken CMA Watering for a wet 2016–17 Victoria had an extremely wet year in 2016–17. In July 2016, rainfall was 200 percent above the average in the Goulburn, Kiewa and Ovens river catchments, and there was flooding along many River Murray floodplains. We had our wettest September on record, with major flooding of the Glenelg, Wimmera and Loddon rivers. Later, most of December’s rain fell in one day — 29 December — delivering the highest summer rainfall on record and triggering flash flooding of several places across the state. Interestingly, the 2016–17 deluge had not been predicted: meteorologists had forecast that 2016–17 might repeat the prolonged dry conditions of the previous year. Fortunately, waterway managers plan for all weather. ‘‘Weather conditions change and we need to be responsive,” said VEWH Co-Executive Officer Trent Wallis. “We know that our climate varies naturally over seasonal, annual and longer cycles. We also know that climate change is now increasing the frequency of extreme weather — flood and drought — and with it the degree of uncertainty facing Victorian communities. “The unpredictability of our weather means that those of us who manage water for Victoria’s environment have to plan ahead each year for all weather scenarios.” Each year, local waterway managers develop seasonal watering proposals based on scenarios for drought, dry, average and wet-to-very-wet conditions. There is no one-size-fits-all year-toyear, so these scenarios provide options for watering rivers and wetlands, based on the seasonal climate conditions and water availability for the year. 11 | Victorian Environmental Water Holder
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