<< BACK TO CONTENTS Hattah Lakes Hattah Lakes became a safe-haven for fish to escape potential blackwater during the Spring storms of 2016. The wettest September on record led the River Murray to flood in October and November, shifting the focus of environmental watering to building on the benefits of natural flows. Mallee CMA primed Hattah Lakes, pumping them with more than 31 gigalitres of water for the environment which, combined with natural flooding, provided a deep drink to black box woodlands on the lower terraces of the floodplain. The positive effects are now on display: much-improved black box canopy densities, abundant flowering and the best seed fall since monitoring started. During the flooding, some Murray tributaries (such as the Edward– Wakool River system and the Murrumbidgee River in New South Wales) suffered from widespread blackwater and fish deaths. Before the main flooding in November, the waterway manager used the pumps at Hattah to fill the lakes on the floodplain with water. This meant the water in the lakes had relatively high concentrations of dissolved oxygen, compared to the water in the main river channel. Had the blackwater threat materialised, the lakes would have provided a refuge for aquatic animals. As the water receded, there was abundant understory growth, better conditions for plants and animals in the lakes and more bird activity. This drew many visitors to enjoy the bushwalking, photography, kayaking and birdwatching opportunities. Site Hattah Lakes Volume delivered in 2016–17 (ML) VEWH CEWH 31,522 Hattah Lake, by Mark Toomey, VEWH 325 Total 31,847 Reflections – Environmental watering in Victoria 2016–17 | 76
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