In the Murrumbidgee, this water is used to support native fish and bird breeding and help us meet our international obligations to look after internationally important wetlands (known as Ramsarlisted wetlands).

Each year, planning the best use of water for the environment starts long before the water starts flowing.

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Office works with local water managers, scientists, First Nations peoples and local communities to prioritise critical sites and carefully plan where water for the environment should be delivered.

Local knowledge is key to getting the best possible results for the environment and communities.

Central to our planning is matching supply with demand - comparing how much water we are likely to have in the coming year with what the environment needs. What we aim to achieve - when, where and how our water is delivered - depends on how much water is allocated to our entitlements by state governments.

Every year is different.

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Water managers plan water use for a range of weather scenarios (from dry to wet) so they can quickly adapt to whatever seasonal conditions eventuate.

This can be complicated, as the needs of the river environment vary in response to seasonal conditions, climate trends and river flow conditions.

In dry years, water is delivered to sites that provide refuge during drought, such as Yarradda Lagoon near Darlington Point.

These refuges help native plants and animals survive so they can bounce back when the drought breaks - a bit like a farmer maintaining breeding stock for better times.

Sites in critical condition or supporting threatened species, are prioritised over sites that can do without water for another year or two.

In wetter years, water managers get their water further by 'piggybacking' on higher river flows to give wetland plants a drink and reconnect billabongs and lagoons to the main river channel so native fish can move and breed.

Just as farmers and towns have felt the impact of extremely dry conditions over the past couple of years, so too has our riverine environment.

The environment doesn't stop needing water in dry times.

In fact, this is when we need to protect our riverine species and environments from potentially irreversible damage.

With the recent good rains in the catchment we, like irrigators, are hoping for a better allocation in the coming season.

The Commonwealth Environmental Water Management Plan for 2020-21 will be available on our website this month at www.environment.gov.au/water/cewo.

For more information contact Michele Groat, who is the local engagement officer for the CEWH on 0427 682 309 or at michele.groat@awe.gov.au.