Environmental flow to stall at Brewarrina?

Water behind the Brewarrina Weir Pool PHOTO TWH

The joint Commonwealth-State Government environmental “fish flow” for the Barwon-Darling is expected to run out of momentum at, or just below Brewarrina unless there is further rainfall.

WaterNSW Executive Manager of Systems Operations Adrian Langdon says that flows from the dam releases have slowed and have been used up by dry river beds and by filling water holes and weir pools along the way.

“The water from Glenlyon Dam on the Border Rivers has run out of momentum below Mogil Mogil on the Barwon River, and will not reach Collarenebri,” Mr Langdon said.

“The flow from Copeton Dam on the Gwydir has been more promising – with water now flowing through Walgett and down towards the Boorooma gauge, just above where the Macquarie River enters the Barwon, between Walgett and Brewarrina.

“After that there’s the Geera gauge just below the Macquarie junction, and if natural losses are low between Geera and Brewarrina, there is a possibility of some flow over the Brewarrina weir to Beemery and Warraweena.

“But at this stage, we believe that the flow is unlikely to reach Bourke,” Mr Langdon said.

Current estimates for flow over the Brewarrina Weir are 1,000 to 1,500 megalitres.

There is a tiny flow still entering the Darling from the Culgoa River at Warraweena, and water is still flowing from Warraweena to Bourke and slowly filling the Bourke Weir pool. There is slim chance that the environmental flow could reach this flow and connect the river between Brewarrina and Bourke.

Read more in the printed edition of the Western Herald.