Dataset
NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
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Translucency Monitoring-Hypothesis 4-Murrumbidgee

Rocky riffles in rivers support a complex community of algae, bacteria, fungi and detritus often held together by a polysaccharide matrix. This biofilm provides food for invertebrates, some fish, platypus, rakali and turtles. Biofilms are scoured naturally by high flows. River regulation alters the timing, duration and frequency of biofilm scouring. Environmental flows downstream of dams, including translucent and transparent releases are designed to restore some of the variability of flow and allow scouring to reset early-stage biofilm, which is more palatable for aquatic animals.

IMEF biofilm and invertebrate studies were performed in the Hunter and Murrumbidgee Rivers, testing the hypothesis (IMEF Hypothesis 4) that restoring some freshes and high flows would induce scouring of silt and biofilms and improved habitat quality for some invertebrate scrapers and their predators.

Sites located on the Murrumbidgee River downstream of Burrinjuck Dam, received periodic environmental releases, between April and October, as well as irrigation flows and uncontrolled spills. Riffle rock biofilms, aquatic invertebrate metrics and water quality were compared with reference sites on the unregulated Goobarragandra and Goodradigbee rivers. Control sites were chosen on the Tumut River, which is regulated by Blowering Dam but unlike the Murrumbidgee River did not receive variable environmental releases.

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Data and Resources

Metadata Summary What is metadata?

Field Value
Language English
Edition 1.0
Purpose To monitor the first environmental flow releases as part of the development of the NSW Water Sharing Plan development and monitoring
Frequency of change As needed
Keywords WATER-Quality,FAUNA-Invertebrates
Metadata Date 2024-04-24
Date of Asset Creation 1998-07-01
License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Geospatial Topic Environment
NSW Place Name Murrumbidgee
Extent

Dataset extent
Temporal Coverage From 1998-07-01 - 2012-07-01
Datum GDA94 Geographic (Lat\Long)
Legal Disclaimer Read
Attribution NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water asserts the right to be attributed as author of the original material in the following manner: "© State Government of NSW and NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water 2024"
Groups Department of Planning and Environment—Water