Moonie catchment
Legend
Ramsar site
DIWA site
| Security | Registered entitlements (ML) | Long Term Average Annual Yield (ML) |
|---|---|---|
| Unsupplemented | 1,415 | 1,100 |
Commonwealth environmental water in the Moonie catchment
Options for Commonwealth environmental water use in 2012-13
Annual Water Use Options 2012-13: Northern Murray-Darling Basin Unregulated Rivers identifies potential Commonwealth environmental watering actions for 2012-13.
Annual Water Use Options 2012-13: Northern Basin Unregulated Rivers – Fact Sheet summarises the approach and some of the options for using Commonwealth environmental water, as well as identifies how anyone may provide suggestions for use of environmental water.
Environmental watering in the catchment in 2011-12
During December 2011 around 1.4 gigalitres of unregulated environmental water was taken to support the first significant post-winter flow event in the system and associated migration and spawning cues for native fish. This action fully utilised the water available in 2011-12.
Environmental watering in the catchment in previous years
During summer 2010-11, the Moonie River catchment received above average rainfall. Summer streamflow at Nindigully in the lower catchment was the highest by volume since at least 1970. A very large rainfall event in late December provided significant overbank flows to the Moonie River floodplain.
A total of 1.4 gigalitres (GL) of Commonwealth environmental water was delivered to the Moonie catchment in December 2010. Whilst this is a small volume compared to other river inflows it contributed flows to the floodplain of the lower Moonie River. This had benefits to vegetation, waterbirds and native fish, and initiated carbon and nutrient exchange.
For further information about the Commonwealth environmental watering in the Moonie and the outcomes achieved, please refer to the Commonwealth environmental water Outcomes Reports and Annual Reports.
Catchment profile
Where is it?
The Moonie Catchment is located predominantly in south-western Queensland and extends over the border into northern New South Wales. It is bounded to the east by the Border Rivers region, to the north by the Condamine-Balonne and to the south by the Barwon-Darling region. The catchment is essentially flat with low relief hills scattered throughout the floodplains of the Moonie River.
The catchment covers an area of 15,103km2 or 1.4 per cent of the MDB. It is one of the most heavily cleared in southern Queensland. From its headwaters east of Tara, the Moonie flows in a south-western direction and is joined by tributaries such as Teelba, Brigalow and Toombilla Creeks. It is an unregulated river, yet almost all irrigation in the area depends on surface water.
What makes this place so special?
The Moonie catchment is an ecologically significant area because it includes:
- a major bioregion, the Southern Brigalow belt, with remnants of brigalow forests, poplar box, wilga and white cypress pine
- protected species including the Australian painted snipe, the freckled duck and the purple-spotted gudgeon
- a diverse range of flora and fauna, including river red gum, coolabah, lignum and black box vegetation communities, and fish communities including olive perchlet, bony bream, gudgeons, golden perch and freshwater eel-tailed catfish
- three endangered vegetation communities
- over 100 wetlands exceeding one hectare in area, many of which support bird breeding events
- high biodiversity and unique systems in-stream
The Thallon waterholes have been identified as a significant ecological site in the Moonie catchment. They are filled by overbank flows from the Moonie River during significant flow events. This wetland comprises two lakes of approximately 12 ha and 21 ha, and is a relatively permanent source of water. These act as refugia for organisms and have been recorded to support between 10,000 and 20,000 waterbirds.
What does the latest science say about the ecological health of the catchment?
The Murray-Darling Basin Commission Sustainable Rivers Audit (SRA) rated the overall health of river ecosystems in the Murray-Darling Basin. The SRA reports the overall ecosystem health of the Moonie as moderate (assessed as part of the Border Rivers catchment).
The CSIRO Sustainable Yields Report on the Moonie indicated that the region uses 0.2 per cent of the surface water diverted for irrigation in the MDB and uses less than 0.1 per cent of the total groundwater used in the MDB (excluding the confined aquifers of the Great Artesian Basin (GAB)). The best estimate 2030 climate indicates reductions of 12 per cent in water availability, a 13 per cent reduction in end-of-system flows and a 6 per cent reduction in diversions (assuming full utilisation of current entitlements). Under the best estimate 2030 climate the average period between floods inundating the floodplain wetlands along the Moonie River would increase by a further 24 per cent.
Note that the boundaries of this catchment as defined by the Sustainable Rivers Audit and the Sustainable Yields report differ slightly to the boundaries used here.