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Water recovery projects

Darling Anabranch scheme

Introduction

The Great Darling Anabranch (the Anabranch) is the ancestral path of the Darling River extending 460km from its junction with the Darling River (south of the Menindee Lakes) to the Murray River. In its natural state, it is an ephemeral stream.. However, water has been supplied to the Anabranch since 1960's when the Menindee Lakes scheme was developed. Historically, almost every year a nominal volume of water (up to 50,000ML) was released down the Anabranch from Lake Cawndilla. This release is ponded in 17 weir pools where approximately 3,000ML/annum was extracted by the 41 landholders adjacent to the Anabranch and used for stock and non-potable domestic supply. The remainder was accounted for by wildlife use, evaporation, uptake by riparian vegetation and seepage.

The Darling Anabranch Pipeline and Environmental flow project is a major NSW initiative to return some 460km of degraded water course to a more natural ephemeral system. This will be achieved through the construction of a stock and domestic water supply pipeline to supply landholder needs, the removal of in-stream structures from within the anabranch and the management of flows from Lake Cawndilla to mimic a more natural flow regime.

The project has a total budget of approximately $54 million and is listed on the Eligible Measures Register as part of NSW Package B under the Living Murray. All partner governments have expressed an interest in investing in the proposal.

The pipeline phase of the work will cost approximately $28 million and save approximately 47GLs of water. (1 GL = 1000 ML = approximate volume of 1000 Olympic swimming pools) .

It is the first major infrastructure project in the Murray–Darling Basin to provide significant water savings, improved water supply to landholders and enhanced environmental outcomes.

Landholders are currently in drought declaration and are eagerly awaiting the pipeline construction. The benefits to landholders include a more secure and efficient Stock and Domestic water supply. There will also be improved water quality and farm viability.

Environmental benefits include encouraging breeding opportunities for native fish and yabbies, improved water quality for the environment and reduced frequency of blue-green algal blooms. The growth of a variety of native aquatic plants will be encouraged.

Implementation of an Indigenous Employment Strategy provides employment opportunities for indigenous people from the Dareton–Wentworth and Menindee areas.

In February 2006, the Minister for Natural Resources announced the successful tenderer, Mitchell Australasia Pty Ltd who will supply and install the pipes, pump stations and storage tanks. It is anticipated that construction will commence in mid-May and continue until December 2006.

The NSW Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the proponent of the Darling Anabranch Pipeline and Environmental flow project. The project can be described as having 3 key stages. These stages are:

construction of a pipe line, pump stations and associated on farm works;
modification and removal of instream structures to allow the free passage of Environmental flows
reinstatement of an adaptively managed Environmental flow Regime.

Construction on the pipeline (Stage 1) is due to start in May 2006 and due for completion by January 2007. Construction of pump stations on the Murray and Darling River sites is scheduled to commence in May 2006 while on farm work should commence in July 2006 and be complete by December 2006.

Removal of the structures (Stage 2) is programmed to occur in March 2007 and all the work completed prior to June 2008.

An Environmental Flows Committee has been formed to develop the release rules and monitoring strategy for the management of environmental flows (Stage 3).