Around 140 million litres of water has been released from Rosslynne Reservoir into the Maribyrnong River System (VIC).
The release took place over seven days to benefit the stretch of Jacksons Creek, between Gisborne and the confluence with Deep Creek at Bulla.
The release mimics a natural ‘low flow fresh’ that would have occurred naturally after occasional summer storms.
Environmental flows aim to mimic a river’s natural process by maintaining water quality, flushing sediment and organic material from the river bed, maintaining habitat for bugs and fish life, and ensuring native vegetation along the river bank receives enough water when the river is otherwise low.
Jacksons Creek is home to a significant population of platypus that is recovering well since the end of the drought in 2010. This release will benefit platypus by improving water quality and habitat for water bugs, which are their main food source.
During this release, river levels between Rosslynne Reservoir and Bulla will increase by up to 10-20cm, which is within the river’s usual level of variance.
Detailed planning and close monitoring of water levels during the release period will ensure flooding and erosion do not occur.
Melbourne Water is working with the Victorian Environmental Water Holder and Southern Rural Water in relation to this release and will monitor the response of the river and aquatic life closely following the event to inform future releases.
