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In response to the declining flow capacity, the increasing risks, and the recommendation that a range of intervention measures be investigated, the MDBA instigated the Barmah–Millewa Feasibility Study (BMFS). Six options were investigated as part of the Barmah–Millewa Feasibility Study.

The Barmah–Millewa Feasibility Study investigated and assessed options for reinstating water delivery capacity in the Barmah–Millewa Reach.

The Barmah–Millewa Reach, or the narrowest parts of it, are referred to as the ‘The Narrows’. It was previously referred to as Barmah Choke.

There is reduced flow of water through the Barmah–Millewa Reach caused from the build-up of sand on the riverbed.

The Murray–Darling Basin Authority undertook a three year study (2009–2012) on the Barmah Choke to investigate the potential water supply and environmental risks.

In 2019, the Murray–Darling Basin Authority undertook a detailed survey of the River Murray through the Barmah–Millewa Reach to investigate the reduction in regulated flow capacity through the Reach. This revealed the presence of a large quantity of sand on the bed of the river, referred to as a ‘sand slug’, which was not expected. In response to this, the MDBA has undertaken a series of investigations to understand the extent and source of the sand, the rate it is moving at and options to manage it.

The Barmah–Millewa Forest bush bird surveys in 2016-17 identified a total of 61 woodland bird species in the survey plots. Species were recorded from both the survey plots and the adjoining habitat. There were 1221 individual birds recorded from across twenty sites in the Barmah–Millewa Forest.

Trading water from above the Barmah Choke to below the choke will continue to be restricted into the 2016–17 water year.

As of 3:30pm on 22 May, the volume of water able to be traded from above to below the Barmah Choke was sitting at 18,798.6 megalitres.

The Barmah-Millewa (B-M) Forest is a highly significant wetland on the Murray River, whose natural hydrology and consequently complex ecosystems have been significantly affected by the river’s now highly regulated flow regime.