Native fish in the Severn River will soon benefit from a release of water for the environment from Pindari Dam.
NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment’s Wetlands & Rivers Conservation Officer Matthew Miles said the release will improve recruitment conditions for native Murray cod and eel-tailed catfish.
“We’ve had more than 18 months of very low and cease-to-flow conditions in the Severn River, which has taken its toll on the native fish population,” said Mr Miles.
“Heavy rain in the catchment in August has thankfully triggered the availability of the Pindari Dam water for the environment stimulus flow, which will benefit these fish populations and the overall health of the river”.
The Water Sharing Plan for the NSW Regulated Border Rivers Water Source allows for an environmental flow to be released from Pindari Dam under certain conditions.
The water will be delivered over a period of 29 days, starting on 1 October.
“The flow will not only promote the spawning of a number of native fish, but it will also stimulate the food chain and provide improved habitat availability for platypus and native bird life,” said Mr Miles.
The development of the flow strategy was a collaboration between the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, DPI Fisheries, Water NSW and the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office.
WaterNSW will manage the release of water from Pindari Dam and will notify riparian landholders of expected daily river levels during the release.
Monitoring and evaluation of the ecological response to the stimulus flow will be undertaken by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment and DPI Fisheries.
