Melbourne Water will be delivering a summer fresh release of approximately 1.1GL of water that has been set aside for the environment into the Yarra River until Tuesday 27February. The river response will be monitored and the release may be adapted accordingly. The river received some freshening flows following rainfall over late December – early January, however recent prolonged warm and dry conditions have seen an overall steady reduction in flows.
The release began on Monday 19 February from Upper Yarra Reservoir to help provide a peak flow of around 350 Ml/d at Millgrove (22 and 23 February). Water released will then combine with a release commencing from Maroondah Reservoir along Watts River on Tuesday 20 February to help provide a peak flow of around 750 Ml/d at Warrandyte (24 and 25 February). Pumping operations at Yering Gorge from the river will cease to allow the flows to pass downstream. The river response will be monitored and the release may be adapted accordingly.
