Northern region << BACK TO CONTENTS Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla islands Natural flooding in 2016–17 provided an opportunity to add to the floodwaters to benefit native fish and black box woodlands. Deliveries of water for the environment were planned for the Lindsay, Mulcra and Wallpolla islands in 2016–17 to help native large-bodied fish to move and breed, to provide habitat for aquatic species and to improve floodplain conditions for plants and animals. Not all goes to plan in nature. The large, natural flood in the Murray during spring brought more water than the environmental watering program would have delivered, overtaking the plans and filling the wetlands at the icon site. In response, the environmental watering program was adapted to capitalise on the natural flows, with 457 megalitres of water delivered to Sandy Creek at Walpolla Island. The natural flooding, supported by the additional environmental water, resulted in substantial golden perch spawning. It also resulted in overbank flooding that inundated the black box woodlands on the higher terraces of the floodplain. This provided the opportunity to monitor the effects of inundation on those black box woodlands that can’t be watered with current infrastructure built under The Living Murray program. Monitoring results show that areas of the floodplain that received water during both the 2016 and 2010–11 floods are in much better condition, and have more prolific seedlings, than those that didn’t similarly benefit from flooding. Site Volume delivered in 2016–17 (ML) VEWH CEWH Lindsay Island Mulcra Island Walpolla Island Lindsay River and Mullaroo Creek1 Potterwalkagee Creek1 Sandy Creek 1 Environmental watering in Lindsay River, Mullaroo Creek and Potterwalkagee Creek was facilitated by manipulating River Murray locks 7 and 8. There was no environmental water use attributed to this management in 2016–17. Water levels managed Water levels managed 457 - 457 Total Lake Wallawalla, by Jane White, Mallee CMA 77 | Victorian Environmental Water Holder
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