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National Rivers Consortium Publications

Assessing the health of Ephemeral Rivers

Assessing the geomorphic and hydrologic aspects of ephemeral rivers is an important part of measuring their health. Ideally, a few accurate, repeatable, rapid measurements would describe their condition and allow changes to be assessed over time. Researchers and managers have developed a large number (hundreds) of hydrologic and geomorphologic indicators which are summarised in this review. Often a suite of indicators, developed by a management agency, will be applied to streams in a (more)...

Hydrological effects of floodgate management on coastal floodplain agriculture

Extensive drainage systems have been constructed on coastal floodplains to mitigate the effects of floods and to enable the development of agricultural industries. They have also greatly increased the rate of acidity entering creeks and estuaries from acid sulfate soils, resulted in a loss of fish breeding habitats and led to changes in the vegetation composition of backswamps. Coastal drains usually have floodgates which prevent tidal inundation of backswamps and reduce the ingress of saline water (more)...

Improving the legislative basis for river management in Australia

The report reviews developments to April 2001 in Australian water resource law and in stakeholders’ experiences. It analyses legislation through eight ‘indicatory topics’ and through questionnaires, interviews and workshops, in four voluntarily-participating States: South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. It proposes a Model Legislative Framework to guide development of water resource law in moving towards sustainable rivers. It calls for a catchment agency to manage (more)...

The Watershed Torbay Experience

Community, change, collaboration and celebration

Watershed Torbay was established on 2001 as a national demonstration project to undertake whole of catchment waterways restoration. Funded by Land & Water Australia through the former national Rivers Consortium, the aim was to further develop and t