Northern region << BACK TO CONTENTS A little bit of water for the environment can go a long way, with a little bit of help from our friends. North East CMA has 70 megalitres of water available to help keep the Ovens River in good environmental condition. Fifty megalitres comes from Lake William Hovel along the King River, which runs into the Ovens River, and 20 megalitres from Lake Buffalo in the Ovens’ upper reaches. “The system doesn’t have enough environmental water to meet the demands of all parts of the river, so it’s vital we deliver the water that is available in the most beneficial and effective way we can,” said North East CMA Environmental Water Resource Officer Catherine McInerney. In 2016–17 the CMA worked with Goulburn-Murray Water to successfully create a larger fresh flow to the lower Ovens River. “Goulburn-Murray Water let us know they were releasing over 5,000 megalitres of water from Lake Buffalo to allow infrastructure works to take place at the lake,” Catherine explained. “So, we added 20 megalitres of environmental water from Lake William Hovell to the water being released from Lake Buffalo. “We delivered the water to reinvigorate the food chain from the bottom up. A flow of this size scours and resets the biofilms — these are slimy films made up of algae, bacteria and fungi living on the rocks and other surfaces in the waterway — which provide food and habitat for water bugs, which are great fish food!” The Ovens River system is home to several threatened and endangered native fish species, including the newly re-established trout cod population and Macquarie perch that are currently being reintroduced. “By fostering the health and growth of the system on a micro level, we’re helping to support the endangered fish populations,” Catherine said. The Ovens River system also enjoyed naturally wet conditions in the winter and spring of 2016, resulting in the largest spring flows in the past five years. Waterway manager: North East CMA Storage manager: Goulburn-Murray Water Site To the King River1 from Lake William Hovell To the Buffalo River1 Buffalo from Lake - 20 1 The King and Buffalo rivers are major tributaries of the Ovens River. 20 Volume delivered in 2016–17 (ML) VEWH CEWH - 50 Total 50 73 | Victorian Environmental Water Holder
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