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Wimmera - Natural Resource Management region

Regional summary

The Wimmera region encompasses 23,500 square kilometres of western Victoria, and is home to a population of 44,000. The region extends from the Grampians in the south to Lake Albacutya in the north and from the South Australian border in the west to Navarre in the east.

The region includes large tracts of productive agricultural land, principally dryland cropping and wool and meat production. Significant areas have been affected to varying degrees by soil structure decline, gully erosion and salinity, which have been identified as natural resource issues for the region.

Priority issues

Key natural resource management issues in the region include:

• wetlands and streams
• terminal lakes
• groundwater
• agricultural land
• heritage sites
• parks and reserves
• state forests
• remnant vegetation

Regional plan

The Wimmera Catchment Management Authority has a 10-member community-based board, with four functional committees dealing specifically with waterways, land, biodiversity and regional development.

The Catchment Management Authority was responsible for developing the Wimmera regional plan, in consultation with the local community. This plan was based on a whole-of-region approach and addresses significant natural resource management (NRM) issues incorporating social, environmental and economic aspects.

When the regional plan was accredited, the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority was responsible for developing the regional investment strategy. This is essentially the business plan that has been developed to attract investment from the Australian and State Governments and details the specific actions, costs and timeframes required to implement the regional plan.

Its 54 Landcare groups (with 1500 members) have a network of specialist environment and farmer-based agriculture groups, and organisations to support and deliver programme.

• Wimmera plan  - accredited October 2003

Current activities

NRM priority	Activities addressing the priority
Water flow	pipe the Wimmera-Mallee stock and domestic channel system to enable resumption of waterway flows and protection of Wimmera Basin ecological values
Water quality	review existing planning provisions, particularly those addressing flood plains and flooding monitor the effectiveness of actions to improve the quality of urban stormwater discharge to the Wimmera Basin determine the natural flow requirements of the terminal lakes' ecosystems identify sources of pollution in Millicent Basin, ensure they are licensed and comply with licence conditions
Water management	implement recommended practice for riparian management on private land in terminal lakes and Millicent Basin (using environmental services payments, rebate schemes and tenure arrangements)
Changed channel form	implement priority actions to protect and manage streams
Water use and availability	ensuring new development is undertaken in an ecologically sustainable manner improving use of existing water allocations, facilitating and implementing new approaches to water re-use and recycling ensuring that all new development occurs within the Murray Darling Basin Catchment Cap
Declining groundwater levels in freshwater aquifers	develop and implement local groundwater management plans for Apsley, Neuarpur (completed) and Telopea Downs
Contamination of groundwater	research methods of reducing salinisation, for example, aquifer mixing, clearing and irrigation recycling
Flood plain	develop and implement prioritised urban and regional flood plain management plans and revise flood mapping for priority flood plains management
Biodiversity	implement recommended practice for riparian and flood plain management on public and private land
Soil health decline	identify and prioritise soil types/management systems affected by or are contributing to salinity, sodicity, acidity, soil biota and soil structure decline

Contacts

Further information can be obtained by contacting the Regional Facilitators for Victoria.