More water in the Coliban storages has allowed a return to normal water sharing arrangements in the system as well as enhanced options for future river health management, announced the North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and Coliban Water. 

For the past five years, the North Central CMA and Coliban Water have worked collaboratively through severe drought conditions to secure water supplies for the region’s major towns and to manage the environmental risks to the Coliban River.  A Ministerial Qualification of Rights to water for the Coliban River was granted in 2006, at the request of both organisations to put the limited amount of water available at the time to the most important use.

Coliban Water Managing Director Gavin Hanlon explains “In 2006, there were real concerns for the water supplies to major towns including Bendigo, Castlemaine and Kyneton and something needed to be done to secure supplies. 

“At the end of June 2006, our catchment storages near Kyneton held only 15,000 megalitres, or 21% of capacity; and by June 2007 the storage position had worsened to only 4,000 megalitres or 6% capacity”, Mr Hanlon said.

North Central CMA Chief Executive Officer Damian Wells confirmed that following extensive scientific advice, it was agreed that all passing flows from Malmsbury reservoir would cease to provide water supply for essential human needs, but also in doing this we recognised that this would have a detrimental impact on the health of the Coliban River.

“To manage this impact we stepped up our monitoring of river health and set aside a portion of the withheld passing flows in a small environmental water reserve for releases to the Coliban River.

“These were very challenging times during the worst drought on record.  Under careful management we were able to manage the limited amount of environmental water available with the river in relatively good shape,” Mr Wells said.

Mr Hanlon continued “The wet spring and summer we have just had has seen the Coliban storages spill more than 50,000 megalitres of water, returning high flows to the Coliban River,”  

“These high flows are very important for the river after such a long period of dry conditions” added Mr Wells.

With storages now full, water security has been greatly enhanced in the Coliban Water region.

The monitoring equipment originally installed by Coliban Water will now be handed over to the North Central CMA to enable the continuation of valuable data collection to aid with river health management of the Coliban River.

With the expiration of the Qualification of Rights, the Department of Sustainability and Environment in conjunction with the North Central CMA, Coliban Water and Goulburn-Murray Water, has drafted amendments to the Bulk Entitlement.  These will, on top of the return of the previous passing flow rules, enable the continuation of the ability under the Qualification, to store an environmental reserve volume in the Coliban Water managed storages.  This water will be available for release under an adaptive river management plan to be managed by the North Central CMA for the health benefits of the Coliban River.

For further information please contact: 

Communications Officer, North Central CMA
PO Box 18, Huntly VIC 3551
t: 03 5448 7124
e: info@nccma.vic.gov.au