Oral Presentation 9th Australian Stream Management Conference 2018

Toorale environmental water delivery project: A case study in loaves and fishes (#66)

Ross E Hardie 1 , Amanda Shipp 1
  1. Alluvium Consulting, Cremorne, VIC, Australia

The Toorale Environmental Water Delivery Project seeks to modify historic embankments constructed across the Warrego River in north west NSW. The purpose of the works is to protect and maintain the values of the property, while also enabling greater capacity to divert flow through the Warrego River to the Darling River. The Delivery Project is required under a 2008 funding agreement between NSW and the Commonwealth Governments for the purchase of Toorale Station from Clyde Agriculture. The property has been gazetted as Toorale National Park and Toorale State Conservation Area and is administered by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The water access entitlements acquired have been transferred to the Commonwealth and are administered by the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder (CEWH) in consultation with NPWS. Meeting the competing and complementary objectives and constraints for the site and project has proved challenging. These objectives and constraints include the retention of pre-existing ecological values and those established as a result of the constructed embankments, passage of environmental water to the Darling River, fish passage through the Warrego River, protection of historic and cultural values and limiting impacts on NPWS operations.  

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