The community event was hosted by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), celebrating the long-term cooperation to restore and protect Hattah Lakes and the river system.
Hattah Lakes is a large floodplain wetland system consisting of more than 20 shallow lakes, streams and temporary swamps in the central Murray catchment, Victoria. It is a Cultural and environmentally significant icon site under the TLM program – a joint initiative funded by the New South Wales, Victorian, South Australian and Commonwealth governments, and coordinated by the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA).
MDBA Chief Executive Andrew McConville said TLM had forged an enduring partnership between governments at all levels to restore and protect the river system and Hattah Lakes.
“TLM is about sharing responsibility to restore and sustain the vital natural assets along the river system, harnessing community, First Nations’, farming, industry, and government goodwill to do the right thing, which is in all our interests,” Mr McConville said.
The TLM program supports the delivery of water for the environment to icon sites in the Southern Basin, including Hattah Lakes. Over time the program has acquired an average of almost 500 gigalitres (GL) of water for the environment. To enable the delivery of water for the environmnet, the TLM program included the building of infrustructure at some sites including the permanent pump station that enables water to be effectively and efficiently delivered into Hattah lakes.
Attendees took the opportunity to reflect on these significant developments and share memories and presentations on:
- the evolution of water for the environment
- the increase in the population of regent parrots
- major waterbird breeding events
- future plans to extend watering infrastructure to the northern lakes under the Victorian Murray Floodplain Restoration Project.
Mallee CMA Chief Executive Officer, Jenny Collins said TLM has made a tangible, long-lasting difference to Hattah Lakes.
“It has done far more than simply add water to dying floodplains. It has helped people reconnect to their Country, breathed life into sites on the brink of ecological collapse and laid the foundations for positive environmental management into the future,” Ms Collins said.
We will continue to acknoweldge and celebrate the successes of The Living Murray (TLM) program – one of the the largest river restoration projects in Australia. Keep an eye out on our newsroom to see how the 20-year anniversary is being celebrated across the Basin.