West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority is celebrating 20 years of delivering water to keep the much-loved Thomson River (Carran Carran) alive, flowing and healthy.  

After the devastation of the Millenium drought, legislation was put in place to protect Victorian waterways from stress and ensure the survival of these precious aquatic ecosystems.  

In August 2005, a legal right was created to take and use water from the Thomson Dam with the primary aim of improving the environmental condition of the Thomson river for the plants and animals that live there.   

“The Thomson entitlement was the first of its kind in our region and one of the first in the state,” explained Dr Stephanie Suter, Environmental Water Officer for West Gippsland CMA.

“Known as water for the environment, it’s water that’s released into the river to support the environment and triggers native fish to breed. It literally keeps the river and wetlands alive – especially in dry times. We definitely think that’s worth celebrating!”  

What’s also worth celebrating are the impressive stats over 20 years. Since 2005 we have:

• Delivered 240 gigalitres of water to the river
• Kept the river alive during eight years of drought
• Released water to 170 kilometres along the river.

“These water deliveries are just one of the important ways we support the Thomson. Other key measures include construction of fishways at Cowwarr and Horseshoe bend to reconnect the river for native fish and  ongoing restoration works to remove weeds, install stock exclusion fences and plant native vegetation along the river and its tributaries.  All these activities are part of the recipe for river and wetland health.”  

Healthy, flowing rivers are also enjoyed by kayakers, canoe clubs, anglers, walkers, birdwatchers, campers, photographers, four wheel enthusiasts and more.  

Celebratory webinar

To celebrate the 20^th anniversary, we hosted a webinar on Wednesday 27 August. 

• Environmental Water Officer, Dr Stephanie Suter talked about the Thomson Environmental Entitlement – how it can about and everything it’s achieved over the past 20 years.
• Waterways project Officer, David Stork talked about the fishways on the Thomson River – how they work and why they are important.

So, if you love your fishing, swimming, kayaking or just love rivers, you can listed to the webinar recording below.

West Gippsland CMA is responsible for over 40,000 kilometres of designated waterways across the region and delivers programs for healthy and resilient catchments. All these waterways flow to the Victorian coast, discharging through the Gippsland Lakes, or directly into Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean. 

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