Working Together to keep Moorabool River Flowing
LOCATION
Moorabool River
TRADITIONAL OWNERS
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation
OUTPUTS
- Managed three Environmental Water Holdings
- Secured one Management Agreement – binding non perpetual
- Held eight engagement events
- One Management Plan
INVESTMENT
EC6 $670K total, over four years
PARTNERS
- Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation
- Barwon Water
- Central Highlands Water
- Victorian Environmental Water Holder
Keeping a river flowing in extremely dry conditions can be a significant challenge. Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and Corangamite CMA are working together to maintain flow on the Moorabool River.
The Moorabool River is one of the most flow-stressed rivers in Victoria. The construction of reservoirs, extraction for drinking water supply and irrigation, and a significant number of farm dams in the catchment are all contributing factors. This is compounded by dry conditions in the Moorabool catchment; June 2025 was the first month to exceed average rainfall totals since April 2024.
Corangamite CMA supports the health of rivers and wetlands through water for the environment – water that is released into rivers and wetlands to support the plants and animals that live, feed and breed in them.
On the Moorabool River, Corangamite CMA strategically manages water for the environment with support from Central Highlands Water, the operator of the Lal Lal Reservoir near Ballarat. Water is released from Lal Lal Reservoir at different times of the year in different volumes to support a range of ecological processes.
Maintaining varied flow within a river is very important for a diverse and healthy river. Higher flows allow native plants to grow and spread, providing habitat for animals, whereas many waterbugs, a key food source for fish and platypus, need lower flows. Getting the right balance is the role of Corangamite CMA’s Environmental Water Team.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation has also used volumes of water supplied by central Highlands Water and Barwon Water in the past two years as ‘Wadawurrung water’ to support Cultural values along the Moorabool River.
Both Wadawurrung water and water for the environment have their place in supporting the environmental and cultural health of the Moorabool River, especially during periods of low and sporadic rainfall. The absence of sustained rainfall has also meant that recent freshes – large pulses of water that help trigger fish migration and streamside plant growth – have all been due to water for the environment and Wadawurrung water.
Being able to deliver and maintain flow in such a dry year is a great example of what Traditional Owners, water corporations and CMAs are doing behind the scenes to protect and restore our rivers for their long-term health.
