Campaspe catchment
Legend
Ramsar site
DIWA site
| Security | Registered entitlements (ML) | Long Term Average Annual Yield (ML) |
|---|---|---|
| High* | 6,547 | 6,219 |
| Low | 395 | 194 |
| Total | 6,942 | 6,413 |
* This includes 30 ML of entitlement in the Coliban River system. This entitlement was obtained as part of the Murray-Darling Basin Small Block Irrigators Exit Grant Package. It is not possible to trade this entitlement out of the Coliban system for use in the wider Campaspe system or for use in the connecting Murray River.
| Security | Registered entitlements (ML) | Long Term Average Annual Yield (ML) |
|---|---|---|
| High | 574,799 | 540,805 |
| General/Low | 507,238 | 364,776 |
| Conveyance | 7,656 | 7,273 |
| Supplementary | 20,876 | 2,956 |
| Total | 1,110,569 | 915,811 |
*Water allocations in southern-connected Basin catchments can, with some restrictions, be traded to other catchments in the southern-connected Basin. This gives the Commonwealth the capacity to move water between catchments of the southern-connected Basin to get the best outcomes for the environment.
Commonwealth environmental water in the Campaspe catchment
Water availability and portfolio management
The Campaspe catchment is part of the northern Victorian rivers system which includes the Goulburn, Broken, Campaspe, Loddon and Ovens rivers and Broken Creek.
Portfolio management statements for the northern Victorian rivers provide information on the Commonwealth Environmental Water Office's approach to the management of Commonwealth environmental water holdings in the catchment. The portfolio management statement identifies the type and amount of entitlements held, the forecast of water available and the proposed approach to trading, carryover and use of the water.
Options for Commonwealth environmental water use
Annual water use options 2012-13: Northern Victorian rivers catchment identifies potential Commonwealth environmental watering actions for 2012-13, including for the Campaspe catchment.
Annual water use options 2012-13: Northern Victorian catchment - 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 water delivery
Environmental Water Delivery: Campaspe River collates current knowledge of the operational and administrative arrangements for the delivery of environmental water to the Campaspe River. The document provides an overview of the environmental assets and potential environmental water use options. This work has been undertaken to support the efficient and effective use of environmental water and to engage communities on how this may best be achieved. This aims to encourage community discussion and feedback on the use of environmental water, to identify future opportunities and recognise operational risks and constraints. Comments on the document are encouraged and can be provided to: ewater@environment.gov.au
Environmental watering in the catchment in 2012-13
Environmental watering in the catchment in 2011-12
14 March 2012
Commonwealth environmental water deliveries were suspended in early December, with flows being met by system operations from that time. The watering action is currently being reviewed, taking into account catchment conditions.
December 2011
Currently, Commonwealth environmental watering is ongoing in the Campaspe catchment, having begun in June 2011. This watering action seeks to build on the benefits of river flows from the preceding summer by providing connectivity to allow fish movement, promoting river red gum recruitment, supporting aquatic habitat for macroinvertebrates and providing flows for water quality purposes. Commonwealth environmental water will contribute to providing water to supplement winter and spring base flows of 200 megalitres per day, and to provide two winter/spring high flows of 1,500 megalitres per day for four days.
Environmental watering in the catchment in previous years
The Campaspe catchment received approximately 2 gigalitres of Commonwealth environmental water during 2010-11. The watering action sought to provide longitudinal connectivity for native fish; maintain aquatic habitat for macroinvertebrates; and maintain permanent connecting flow for water quality, principally salinity and dissolved oxygen.
For further information about Commonwealth environmental watering in the Campaspe catchment and the outcomes achieved, please refer to the Commonwealth environmental water Outcomes Reports and Annual Reports.
Catchment profile
Where is it?
The Campaspe catchment, located in north-central Victoria, is based around the Campaspe River and its major tributary, the Coliban River. Other significant tributaries include the Axe, McIvor, Mt Pleasant, Forest, Wild Duck and Pipers Creeks. The Campaspe River originates in the Great Dividing Range near Trentham. It flows for 150 km before joining the Murray River at Echuca.
The total area of the Campaspe catchment is 4,279 km2. Major townships include Echuca, Rochester, Elmore, Heathcote, Bendigo and Kyneton.
What makes this place so special?
The Campaspe catchment is an ecologically significant area because it:
- includes flora and fauna of national, regional and local conservation significance including the Murray cod and the trout cod
- supports populations of the iconic platypus
- provides important ecological links to the Murray River by enabling species to travel between the two river systems
- provides important refugia for species in times of drought, including pools at the Campaspe Siphon and Campaspe Weir.
What does the latest science say about the ecological health of the catchment?
The Murray-Darling Basin Commission Sustainable Rivers Audit (SRA) 2008 rated the overall health of river ecosystems in the Murray-Darling Basin. The SRA reports the overall health of the Campaspe River as very poor.
The CSIRO Sustainable Yields Report for the Campaspe indicated that the current level of surface water extraction in the region is high, with 36 per cent of average available water being diverted for use. Under the best estimate 2030 climate conditions, average surface water availability would reduce by 16 per cent and diversions by 5 per cent. It should be noted that the boundaries of the Campaspe catchment as defined in this report do differ slightly to the catchment area defined on this webpage.
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.