Rivers in the wet-dry tropics of northern Australia are coming under increasing pressure from water development. One of the most common impacts is water extraction of dry season flow, often via groundwater extraction. The NT Water Allocation Planning Framework currently allocates at least 80% of river flow or aquifer at any time as environmental water. However, this is increasingly coming under scrutiny and being tested, with evidence-based assessments urgently needed.
This project aims to determine environmental water recommendations for protecting fish habitat for a range of species in the Katherine River, Northern Territory. We use recently published research and new fine-scale radiotracking data to describe fish habitat use for a number of species, and combine this with detailed hydraulic modelling to explore various dry season flow scenarios for optimum water levels for environmental flow requirements. This project forms part of a larger research program aimed at improving our understanding of environmental water requirements in the Daly River, Northern Territory.