Oral Presentation Australian Society for Fish Biology Conference 2024

Flow management options for the Lower Darling-Baaka River to improve ecological outcomes (111500)

Simon Mitrovic 1 , Darren Baldwin 2 , Iain Ellis 3 , Donald Davis 1 , Emma Collins 4 , Eytan Rocheta 4
  1. University of Technology, Sydney
  2. Rivers and Wetlands, Albury
  3. Millewa Pumping, Millewa
  4. Natural Resources Commission, Sydney

The Lower Darling-Baaka River near the town of Menindee in western NSW has experienced multiple stressors such as droughts, floods, algal blooms and low oxygen water conditions over the last five years. This has culminated in mass fish deaths in the Weir 32 area, with the largest fish death in 2023 compromising an estimated 10-20 million fish. Climate change adds further pressure to the system and the organisms dependent on it. In this presentation we discuss potential flow management options for improving water quality and ecological outcomes for the Weir 32 zone near Menindee. We discuss water delivery options under different scenarios and suggest management approaches including flow discharge/velocity targets to improve water quality (including oxygen concentrations), reduce algal blooms and mitigate mass fish death events in the area. We also outline other interventions that are required to improve ecological outcomes in the Lower Darling-Baaka River.