Fish Friendly Water Extraction
Keeping Native Fish In Our Rivers
Millions of native fish are being lost each year from waterways throughout Queensland’s Murray-Darling Basin. They are sucked into pumps and whisked away down channels along with sticks, branches, gumnuts, algae, grass, shrimp and a variety of other animals and trash. This unwanted debris impacts water infrastructure by clogging filters and interrupting supply leading to damaged pumps and uneven watering which affects crop productivity and yields.
Historically traditional ‘trash racks’ have been retrofitted to water infrastructure largely with poor results; including continued losses to fish populations. But NOW modern screens are providing an opportunity to avoid debris, reduce maintenance costs and operational downtime as well as protect native fish.
Latest Project News
Landholders Hooked On Fish Friendly Water Extraction Project
The Australian Government has provided Queensland with the first two instalments of its funding for the Fish Friendly Water Extraction project.
The $661,000 paid to date is part of the $6.6 million that Queensland will receive through to 2024 to install screens on offtake pumps so that fish are not removed from northern Murray-Darling Basin rivers.
But the other big beneficiaries are land managers and irrigators - they'll have reduced pump downtime and maintenance costs, saving time and money.
The Australian Government sees this project as a key part of its 'toolkit' of environmental works and measures being rolled ou in the northern basin.
First contract signed in $6.6M project
Irrigators throughout the northern Murray-Darling Basin have signaled their backing of a $6.6M Federal Government project to protect native fish with the first land manager contract signed.
Project coordinators Southern Queensland Landscapes are delivering the Fish Friendly Water Extraction project on behalf of the Queensland government.
Principal Project Officer Tim Vale said the project has real benefits for both fish and farmers and delivers on the promises of the Commonwealth’s ‘Toolkit’ of environmental works and measures for the northern Basin.
Fish Friendly Floods
Project Coordinator Timothy Vale headed to Surat to undertake Fish Friendly Water Extraction site visits. While there, Tim had a look at the Balonne River when it was at it's peak flood level.
"It was interesting to see how the flood water moves across the landscape after so much rain," Tim said.
Tim mentioned that native fish do a lot of migrating during periods of flooding, which can cause even more fish to be winding up in irrigators pumps.
"These major floods provide critical opportunities for fish to migrate, and pumps would also be taking water at the same time. The flooding demonstrates the importance of the Fish Friendly Water Extraction project as a fantastic opportunity to protect fish while migrating and working collaboratively with the irrigation industry to solve the problem or debris in pumps," he said.
Resourceful in the River
Project Coordinator Tim Vale is working with land managers in the Fish Friendly Water Extraction Project to help irrigators and native fish thrive in our rivers.
Here, a land manager volunteered to assist Tim in surveying the creek by hopping in his kayak and traversing the creek to take important measurements for the placement of the fish screens.
Tim says finding the right placement for the Fish Friendly pump screens is important for the longevity and productivity of the screens.
"We need to make sure the screen is installed in the correct location to work correctly. The screen will always protect the fish, and it will work in all different types of creeks and rivers, but it's placement is critical to ensure you get the best use out of your pump," Tim said.
About the Project
Over the next three years, Southern Queensland Landscapes will be working with irrigators in the Border Rivers, Lower Balonne and Condamine catchments to install modern fish friendly screens in a variety of situations, monitor their success and demonstrate the new technology to land managers and industry bodies.
The $6.6M Fish Friendly Water Infrastructure Project is part of the Commonwealth Government funded "Toolkit" of environmental works and measures in the northern Basin. SQ Landscapes has been engaged by the Queensland Government to implement the program in Queensland.
Benefits of modern fish friendly screens include:
- Improved water delivery thereby increasing crop yields
- Reduced maintenance costs and operational downtime
- Reduced energy consumption
- Protection for 90% of native fish from entrainment (getting sucked up, diverted or carried along by a current).
Meet the Coordinator
Knowledge & Information Support Officer Dr Paul Webb
Paul is a passionate, ambitious and accomplished environmental leader, offering over twenty years of experience delivering monitoring, evaluation and natural resource management projects. Paul is a certified hydrographer who has a sound knowledge of landscape processes, water resources, climate and sustainability. Confident in collecting and applying critical data to not only design but deliver effective initiatives in order to protect water and wetlands. Paul drives best practices, policy reforms, innovative strategies, ecological awareness and stakeholder engagement activities. Paul is relied upon to provide strategic advice, assist with research, mitigate risks and deliver programs.
How Does Fish Friendly Water Extraction Work?
Source : Video supplied by AWMA Water Control Solutions
A purpose designed modern fish friendly screen is a very different screen from a traditional inlet screen. Water diversions may be pumped or gravity fed and can be used for a variety of situations including irrigation, raw water supplies for towns/cities, commercial and industrial uses such as hydro, cooling towers or manufacturing. These modern fish friendly screens work by preventing fish, larvae and eggs being sucked up or diverted during the water extraction process.
The primary way a fish exclusion screen protects fish is by
reducing velocity at the point of diversion. The second protection method is by
providing a physical barrier.
The Australian Government funded Fish Friendly Water Extraction (Qld) project is a $6.6 million investment as part of the Northern Basin Toolkit Measures. Supported by the Queensland Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water, the project will work with irrigators, local governments and communities to screen off-take pumps and diversions in the
Condamine, Balonne and Border Rivers catchments to protect both native fish and water infrastructure.
