A milestone in the Gunbower floodplain environmental flow has been reached, with the water starting to flow back out to the Murray River via the lower section of Gunbower Creek.

The Yarran Regulator has also been opened to allow water from the forest to flow into Gunbower Creek.

This is great news for fish, with the water containing vital nutrients and some of the best fish food in the Basin, heading into breeding season for Murray cod and golden and silver perch. 

We expect up to 40% of the water that enters the floodplain to flow back into the river system, connecting the floodplain to the river like it did regularly before river regulation.

And that water will be reused as water for the environment in other waterways and on other  floodplains as it travels down.

While we don’t expect any issues, we have dissolved oxygen probes in Gunbower Creek to monitor the water quality as it is shandied, to avoid any negative impacts to water quality.