Building Resilience in the Wimmera: Environmental Watering for a Sustainable Future

The Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) have released the Seasonal Watering Plan 2025–26.

VEWH Media release: Environmental watering to build resilience for dry times

VEWH Seasonal Watering Plan 2025-26 plan front page

As Victoria braces for increasingly dry conditions, the Wimmera region stands at a critical juncture in its environmental water management journey. The VEWH has announced targeted environmental watering actions across the Western region to build resilience in key waterways, with a strong focus on the Wimmera River system and its connected wetlands.

Why the Wimmera Matters

The Wimmera River, known as Barringgi Gadyin by Traditional Owners, flows through Horsham, Dimboola, and Jeparit before reaching Lake Hindmarsh—Victoria’s largest freshwater lake. This river system is unique: it ends in terminal lakes and does not flow into the Murray River, making it especially vulnerable to climate variability and prolonged dry spells.

Environmental watering in the Wimmera supports:

Native fish and vegetation
Wetland bird habitats
Cultural values of Traditional Owners
Recreational and community uses

2025–26 Priorities

The Seasonal Watering Plan 2025–26 outlines key priorities:

Delivering water to Mount William Creek, MacKenzie River, and Burnt Creek to maintain ecological health.
Supporting Lake Hindmarsh and Lake Albacutya, which are Ramsar-listed wetlands of international importance.
Enhancing flows to Wimmera-Mallee wetlands, which include 52 sites formerly supplied by the Wimmera-Mallee channel system.

Challenges Ahead

The Wimmera is facing several challenges:

Climate variability and reduced inflows.
Infrastructure constraints in delivering water to remote wetlands.
Balancing competing water demands across agriculture, urban use, and the environment.

Partnerships and Community

To manage the environmental flows for the coming season, we work closely with our partners assessing everyone’s needs and what is possible. Environmental watering in the Wimmera is a collaborative effort involving:

Victorian Environmental Water Holder
Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority
Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water
Barengi Gadjin Land Council, representing Traditional Owners
Local communities and recreational groups

Looking Forward

The Environmental Water Management Plan (EWMP) for the Wimmera River and its terminal lakes sets long-term goals to protect biodiversity, cultural heritage, and community values. It emphasizes adaptive management and monitoring to ensure water is used effectively and sustainably. Working with the EWMP and the VEWH Seasonal Watering Plan 2025-26 we consider the current water situation and prospective water season with our partners and make our plans to help benefit the community, catchment and environment.

More Information

To find out more about the Wimmera catchment, visit the VEWH Wimmera System page.