Healthy Waterways

The ACT is the largest urban centre within the Murray-Darling Basin. Canberra is a river city, with both the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee flowing through the Territory and providing the lifeblood of our local biodiversity. The Ngunnawal (Ngunawal), Ngambri and Ngarigo Peoples — and all other First Nations peoples with connections to this region — hold deep and ongoing ties to the waterways of the ACT.

The Upper Murrumbidgee River is in crisis, with river health continuing to decline. This is largely because this stretch of river is being starved of water by the Snowy Hydro scheme, which diverts on average 93% of annual flows at the headwaters of the Murrumbidgee at Tantangara Dam, and in some years up to 99%. River health, and iconic endangered species such as the Macquarie Perch, will only recover once more water is released from Tantangara Dam and flows are better able to mimic natural seasonal variation.

As a member of the Murray-Darling Conservation Alliance, we are advocating for a bold and ambitious response to restore Australia’s largest river system — the Murray-Darling — to health. In particular, we advocate for restoring flows to the Upper Murrumbidgee River, the Snowy River, and other montane rivers affected by the Snowy Hydro Scheme.

The ACT’s rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands and riparian zones support biodiversity and provide crucial food, refuge and habitat for local wildlife. They also benefit community health and wellbeing by offering spaces for residents to socialise and recreate.

However, water and riparian assets, both regionally and nationally, face significant challenges from climate change, altered flow regimes, loss of riparian vegetation, pollution and invasive species. In the ACT region, this has resulted in increased blue-green algae blooms, loss of riparian habitat through development and degradation, invasive species choking our river corridors, and pollution of our waterways. Better management of water across our urban landscape, including improving landscape connectivity, slowing and utilising stormwater, and investing in riparian zone management, will improve water quality and habitat in our waterways and catchment.