Flows for the Future program wins national award
An initiative helping bring water back into the River Murray has been nationally recognised for its success.
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A local initiative which helps bring back water into the River Murray has been recognised at the Australian stream management awards.
The Flows for the Future program aims to re-establish natural water flow patterns by redirecting water from properties with dams back into local catchments.
Run by the state Department for Environment and Water, it engages with landholders across the Eastern Mount Lofty Ranges from Cambrai to Currency Creek.
At the recent Australian Stream Management Awards, the project was crowned winner of the involving community in waterway management category.
Flows for the Future program leader Tim Vale said the award had come as a really good surprise, especially when up against six other initiatives.
The program has so far installed 430 low-flow devices at sites all over the eastern hills, and is halfway to a flow target goal of 1.3 gigalitres.
The devices capture a small component of the total flows that would ordinarily go into a dam.
"It puts (water) around the dam in an underground pipe and releases it below," Mr Vale said.
"When you get high flows ... that water goes into the environment and is kept for agricultural use.
"(But) we've allocated too much water and we're capturing it in too many dams.
"The low flows is meant to offset that allocation so we can have water for (both) the environment and agriculture."
If the environment was sustainable, communities and agriculture could continue to function, he said.
Tony Lynch, who owns a property at Tungkillo, was one of the landholders who fit the criteria for a low flow device.
"It wasn't going to be an issue ... they were mindful of our needs and the quality of work was excellent," he said.
Most years Mr Lynch said he would run a pipe coming through the bottom of the dam to minimise overflow run-off anyway.
"It's always good to see new things ... I have an interest in revegetating anyway and would environmentally like to contribute," he said.
The program is voluntary and the installation of low-flow solutions is offered at no cost to landholders.
There are many people on board, from cattle and sheep farmers to vineyards and big beef farmers.
Mr Vale hoped the example they had set could be copied elsewhere.
"The problem is not just South Australia but nationally ... it's an idea that can continue far beyond when the program ends," he said.
DEW's acting director of water infrastructure and operations, Lisa Stribley, said the project was an outstanding example of waterway management.
"As drought conditions become more common and climate change continues to impact waterways and floodplains, projects such as these will become even more important," she said.
"As water managers try and intervene to ensure the long-term sustainability of these ecosystems,”
“Supporting the health of our natural environment provides a range of flow-on benefits to the economy, our communities and our general wellbeing."
- More information: www.environment.sa.gov.au.
