Campaspe Flow Manipulation Project: Campaspe Flow Manipulation Project: the highs and lowsthe highs and lows

Paul Humphries, Robert Cook, Adam Paul Humphries, Robert Cook, Adam Richardson & Richardson & LucianoLuciano SerafiniSerafini

Campaspe Flow Manipulation Campaspe Flow Manipulation ProjectProject

• Regulated rivers in SE Australia - aseasonal flows • CFMP: ecologists and water managers

cooperating to manage flow to improve conditions for the flora and fauna

• Attempt to provide water for the environment andfor offstream users

• Test the effectiveness of environmental water allocation using an experimental, before/after approach – Broken River as ‘reference’

Records of fish in the Campaspe and Broken Records of fish in the Campaspe and Broken RiversRivers

km

Murray

River

Cam

pasp

e Ri

ver

Goulburn

River

Broken

River

Lake Eppalock

Lake Nillahcootie

N 0 50 100

Campaspe Weir

Campaspe Siphon

Gowan

gardi

e

Weir

Casey W

eir

146o

Murray-Darling Basin

Lake Mokoan

• Murray cod*• Trout cod*• Macquarie perch*• Golden perch• River blackfish*• Freshwater catfish*• Silver perch• Mountain galaxias*• Spotted galaxias*• Flathead galaxias*• Australian smelt*• Freshwater hardyhead*• Crimson-spotted rainbowfish*• Western carp gudgeon*• Lake’s carp gudgeon*• Midgley’s carp gudgeon*• Flathead gudgeon*• Southern pygmy perch*• Bony herring• Short-finned eel

* Species which would have lived and bred in the Campaspe River

But it didnBut it didn’’t happen!t happen!

100000150000200000250000300000350000400000

050000

7/1/

1987

1/1/

1988

7/1/

1988

1/1/

1989

7/1/

1989

1/1/

1990

7/1/

1990

1/1/

1991

7/1/

1991

1/1/

1992

7/1/

1992

1/1/

1993

7/1/

1993

1/1/

1994

7/1/

1994

1/1/

1995

7/1/

1995

1/1/

1996

7/1/

1996

1/1/

1997

7/1/

1997

1/1/

1998

7/1/

1998

1/1/

1999

7/1/

1999

1/1/

2000

7/1/

2000

1/1/

2001

7/1/

2001

Pro

pose

d re

leas

eFrom this……. ……..to this

Changes to the flow regime in the Changes to the flow regime in the Campaspe RiverCampaspe River

0200400600800

100012001400

Post-dam

Pre-dam

0200400600800

100012001400

JAN MAR MAY JUL SEP NOV

Dis

char

ge (M

L/d)

Month

Upper section

Lower section

FEB APR JUN AUG OCT DEC

current,depth etc

invertebrates

Flow

Breeding

Hypothesis #1Hypothesis #1

1999

BrBr

CaCa

1995 1996 1997 1998J A O D F A J A O D F A J A O D F A J A O D F A

Dis

char

ge (M

l d-1

)

0500

10001500

0500

10001500

Flow and spawningFlow and spawning

Australian smelt

Common carp

Flathead gudgeon

Gambusia

Redfin

Golden perch

Carp gudgeon

Murray codRainbowfish

Galaxiids

Blackfish

current,depth etcFlow

invertebrates

Hypothesis #2Hypothesis #2

Flow and breeding of fish: summer Flow and breeding of fish: summer releasesreleases

0200400600800

100012001400

Post-damPre-dam

JAN MAR MAY JUL SEP NOV

Dis

char

ge (M

L/d)

MonthFEB APR JUN AUG OCT DEC Echuca

Tem

pera

ture

(o C)

05

101520253035

Jan

Mar

MayJu

l

Sep Nov

202530354045

Rai

nfal

l (m

m)

Jun

Aug Oct

Dec

Feb

AprPeak fish

breeding activity

CrimsonCrimson--spotted spotted rainbowfishrainbowfish

Alison King, PhDAlison King, PhD

Australian smeltAustralian smelt

Alison King, PhDAlison King, PhD

Murray cod

Alison King, PhDAlison King, PhD

Low flow recruitment Low flow recruitment hypothesishypothesis

• Some fish breed and recruit during warm, low flow period

• In slackwater habitats• Low flow period may enable development

of rich source of prey

When summer irrigation releases occur...When summer irrigation releases occur...

0123456

Slackwater River channel

Num

ber o

f fis

h……are fish larvae flushed from slackwaters?

05

101520253035

05

101520253035

05

101520253035

05

101520253035

05

101520253035

1 8 15 22 29 6 13 20 27 3 10 24 117 8 15 22 29Sep Oct Nov Dec

Dis

char

ge (m

Dis

char

ge (m

33 ss-- 11

))

Tem

pera

ture

(o C)

1997

1998

1999

2000

20010

4080

120160

04080

120160

04080

120160

04080

120160

04080

120160

Spa

wni

ng o

f Mur

ray

cod

Spa

wni

ng o

f Mur

ray

cod

Spawning

Age of drifting Murray cod larvaeAge of drifting Murray cod larvae

175

10

15

20

22 29 5 12 19 26 3 10Oct Nov Dec

172415 2229 5 12 19 26 3 10Oct Nov Dec

172415 22 29 5 12 19 26 3 10Oct Nov Dec

172415 2229 512 1926 3 10Oct Nov Dec

15

Date

Age

(day

s)

1998 1999 2000 2001

Irrigation flows and Irrigation flows and slackwatersslackwaters

Summer natural

Summer irrigation

Flow change and recruitment

current,depth etc

microinvertebrates

Flow

invertebrates

Number of fish

Fish in the Campaspe River 1995Fish in the Campaspe River 1995--20032003

Flathead gudgeonGolden perchCarp gudgeonMurray codSmelt

Common carpRedfin perchGoldfishMosquitofishTrout

NativeAlien

Biomass of fish

NativeAlien

Stocked

Stocked

Distribution of fish in the CampaspeDistribution of fish in the CampaspeLake Eppalock

Campaspe Weir

Campaspe Siphon

Flathead gudgeonGolden perchCarp gudgeonMurray codSmeltCommon carpRedfin perchGoldfishMosquitofishTrout

Distribution of shrimp in the CampaspeDistribution of shrimp in the Campaspe

Lake Eppalock

Campaspe Weir

Campaspe Siphon

Campaspe

Caridina

Paratya

Macrobrachium

But in the Broken River………

Native

Fish in the Broken River 2000Fish in the Broken River 2000--20032003

NativeAlien

Number of fish Biomass of fish

Alien

Golden perchCarp gudgeonMurray codSmelt

Common carpRedfin perchGoldfishMosquitofish

BlackfishRainbowfish

Biomass of fishNumber of fish

NativeAlien

Campaspe

Distribution of shrimp in the Distribution of shrimp in the CampaspeCampaspe

Lake Eppalock

Campaspe Weir

Campaspe Siphon

BrokenCampaspe

Caridina

Paratya

Macrobrachium

What has summer releases done to What has summer releases done to macroinvertebratesmacroinvertebrates??

Species number = 104

Broken Campaspe

Upper

Middle

Lower

Campaspe WeirCampaspe Weir

Campaspe SiphonCampaspe Siphon

Lake Lake EppalockEppalockSpecies number = 110

Species number = 86

Species richnessSpecies richness

MacroinvertebrateMacroinvertebrate assemblagesassemblages

Lower

Middle

Upper

Broken

Campaspe

Environmental variables influencing Environmental variables influencing macroinvertebratesmacroinvertebrates assemblagesassemblages

• Flow components–Current velocity –Minimum discharge –Median discharge

• Other–Conductivity

Extended low flows in the Campaspe Extended low flows in the Campaspe RiverRiver

0200400600800

100012001400

Post-dam

Pre-dam

0200400600800

100012001400

JAN MAR MAY JUL SEP NOV

Dis

char

ge (M

L/d)

Month

Upper section

Lower section

FEB APR JUN AUG OCT DEC

Flows in lower Campaspe & Flows in lower Campaspe & Broken RiversBroken Rivers

Lower Campaspe

Broken

2000

Dis

char

ge (M

L da

y-1)

0

200

400

600

800

1000Ja

n

Apr Jul

Oct

Jan

Apr Jul

Oct Jan

Apr Ju

l

Oct

Jan

Apr Jul

Oct

Dec

Month1997 20001998 1999

Occurrence of species in the Campaspe RiverOccurrence of species in the Campaspe River

RedfinGolden perchFlathead gudgeon

Carp

Australian smelt

GoldfishMosquitofishMurray cod

Brown trout

Carp gudgeons

Flatheaded galaxias

0

1000

2000

J S D M J S D M J S D M J S D M J S D M J S D M J S D M J S D M

Silver perchSpotted galaxias

Mountain galaxiasWeatherloach

Macquarie perch

Dis

char

ge (M

l d-1

)

19991995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002

BiofilmBiofilm

BiofilmBiofilm biomassbiomass

Feb 02 Jun 02 Oct 02 Feb 03 Jun 03 Oct 03

Month

DW

(gcm

-1)

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5CA upperCA middleCA lowerBroken

Biofilm % organic matter Organic

Inorganic

0

20

40

60

80

100

Upp

erM

iddl

eLo

wer

Brok

en

Upp

erM

iddl

eLo

wer

Brok

en

Upp

erM

iddl

eLo

wer

Brok

en

Upp

erM

iddl

eLo

wer

Brok

en

Upp

erM

iddl

eLo

wer

Brok

en

Upp

erM

iddl

eLo

wer

Brok

en

Feb 02 Jun 02 Oct 02 Feb 03 Jun 03 Oct 03

%

BiofilmBiofilm compositioncomposition

Flow recommendationsFlow recommendations• Summer irrigation releases

Avoid constant moderate/high releases over summerSome other means of supplying off stream demandReinstate a low flow period in rivers to enable fish and shrimp recruitmentProvide in-stream structures in rivers to create slackwaterareas? restoration experiment

• Constant low flowsProvide flushing/scouring flows along the length of river system coinciding with natural rain eventsAt least two

Flow recommendations• Above trigger level – ‘Translucent dam approach’

– Release % of incoming flows at all times– Allow low flows, unless natural rain event (but water

quality needs to be good)– High flows need to be sufficient to scour and provide

cue for fish movement (bank full for x days?)• Below trigger level – ‘Managed flows’

– Low flows between November and April, unless natural rain event (contribution by tribs?)

– Flushing/scouring flows x 2 - July and September, coinciding with rain events (bank full for x days?)