This Public Environment Report (PER) has been prepared for the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) for the assessment and approval of an action that may have an impact upon Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
The proposed action is the modified operation of the fully modernised Goulburn Murray Irrigation District (GMID) in northern Victoria to be delivered by the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP). The controlling provisions under the EPBC Act were determined to be:
· wetlands of international importance (sections 16 and 17B)
· listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A)
· listed migratory species (sections 20 and 20A).
This PER has been prepared in accordance with the Guidelines (Appendix 2) issued by DEWHA on 24 December 2009. The final PER has been amended to incorporate relevant comments received during the consultation period for the draft PER. DEWHA accepted NVIRP’s final PER on Friday 12 March 2010 and this triggered the assessment period of up to 40 business days for the Federal Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts to make a decision on whether or not to approve the action.
On Monday 10 May the action was approved by the Federal Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts. Click here to read the Minister's decision and associated conditions.
NVIRP is projected to return up to 175 gigalitres (175 billion litres) on an annual long term average to rivers and wetlands including the Murray River and Ramsar Wetlands, delivering the water at the right times for the best environmental outcomes.
NVIRP is confident that the operation of the fully-modernised system, with approved Environmental Watering Plans and management measures in place, will not result in significant impacts on wetlands, threatened species and listed migratory species of national environmental significance.
Environmental watering plans are being developed for sites of high environmental value to make sure they are not adversely affected by the project.
Executive Summary
Executive Summary (PDF, 359 KB)
Public Environment Report
Table of Contents (PDF, 75 KB)
Guide (PDF, 18 KB)
Final table of responses to public submissions 10.03.10 (PDF, 167 KB)
List of References (PDF, 44 KB)
Acronyms and Glossary (PDF, 28 KB)
Chapter 1 - General information (PDF, 414 KB)
Chapter 2 - Context of the action - the current system (PDF, 1.07 MB)
Chapter 3 - Description of the action (PDF, 596 KB)
Chapter 4 - Matters of national environmental significance (PDF, 211 KB)
Chapter 5 - Hydrological effects (PDF, 2.34 MB)
Chapter 6 - Relevant impacts (PDF, 982 KB)
Chapter 7 - Proposed safeguards and mitigation measures (PDF, 217 KB)
Chapter 8 - Other approvals and conditions (PDF, 69 KB)
Chapter 9 - Environmental record (PDF, 18 KB)
Chapter 10 - Information sources (PDF, 33 KB)
Chapter 11 - Economic and social matters (PDF, 248 KB)
Chapter 12 - Conclusion (PDF, 104 KB)
Appendices
List of Appendices (PDF, 19 KB)
Appendix 1 - DEWHA Decision (06 Nov 09) (PDF, 345 KB)
Appendix 2 - Guidelines for the content of a draft PER (PDF, 199 KB)
Appendix 3 - Victorian Planning Minister's decision (PDF, 248 KB)
Appendix 4 - Water Change Management Framework (PDF, 1.22 MB)
Appendix 5 - Johnson Swamp Environmental Watering Plan (PDF, 2.28 MB)
Appendix 6a - Water Savings Protocol Explanatory Note (PDF, 130 KB)
Appendix 6b - Water Savings Protocol Technical Manual (PDF, 2.43 MB)
Appendix 6c - Water Savings Protocol Roles and Responsibilities (PDF, 587 KB)
Appendix 6d - Water Savings Protocol Audit Process (PDF, 337 KB)
Appendix 7 - Water Savings Framework for NVIRP (PDF, 391 KB)
Appendix 8a - EPBC Act Protected Matters Report 1 (PDF, 80 KB)
Appendix 8b - EPBC Act Protected Matters Report 2 (PDF, 83 KB)
Appendix 8c - EPBC Act Protected Matters Report 3 (PDF, 99 KB)
Appendix 8d - EPBC Act Protected Matters Report 4 (PDF, 95 KB)
Appendix 8e - EPBC Act Protected Matters Report 5 (PDF, 85 KB)
Appendix 8f - EPBC Act Protected Matters Report 6 (PDF, 77 KB)
Appendix 8g - EPBC Act Protected Matters Report 7 (PDF, 83 KB)
Appendix 9 - NVIRP Assessment on Ramsar Wetlands (PDF, 2.20 MB)
Appendix 10 - NVIRP Assessment of Impacts on Flora Issues of National Environmental Significance (PDF, 3.20 MB)
Appendix 11 - NVIRP assessment of aquatic species (PDF, 321 KB)
Appendix 12 - NVIRP Operational Impact Assessment Terrestrial Vertebrate Fauna (PDF, 4.59 MB)
Appendix 13 - Listed species and communities identified (PDF, 122 KB)
Appendix 14 - Summary description of Matters of National Environmental Significance (PDF, 200 KB)
Appendix 15 - Food Bowl Modernisation Project Environmental Referrals (PDF, 3.43 MB)
Appendix 16a - NVIRP Waterway Shortlisting Report (PDF, 3.28 MB)
Appendix 16b - NVIRP Waterway Shortlisting Photographs (PDF, 17.9 MB)
Appendix 17 - NVIRP Wetland Short-listing Report (PDF, 4.05 MB)
Appendix 18 - Surface Water Hydrology Report (PDF, 3.69 MB)
Appendix 19 - Groundwater Hydrology Report (PDF, 7.02 MB)
Appendix 20a - ERP Advice on WCMF (PDF, 209 KB)
Appendix 20b - ERP Advice on Waterways Shortlisting Report (PDF, 459 KB)
Appendix 20c - ERP Advice on Wetland Shortlisting Report (PDF, 322 KB)
Appendix 20d - ERP Advice on Hydrology Assessment Reports (PDF, 464 KB)
Appendix 20e - ERP Advice on Ramsar Wetlands Assessment Reports (PDF, 325 KB)
Appendix 20f - ERP Advice on Ecological Assessment Reports (PDF, 274 KB)
Appendix 20g - ERP Advice on Methodology (PDF, 435 KB)
Appendix 21a - Response to Public Submissions (PDF, 167 KB)
Appendix 21b - Response to Public Submission 8 (PDF, 2.04 MB)
Appendix 22.1 - Public Submissions (PDF, 10 KB)
Appendix 22.2 - Public Submissions (PDF, 561 KB)
Appendix 22.3 - Public Submissions (PDF, 309 KB)
Appendix 22.4 - Public Submissions (PDF, 122 KB)
Appendix 22.5 - Public Submissions (PDF, 2.42 MB)
Appendix 22.6 - Public Submissions (PDF, 812 KB)
Appendix 22.7 - Public Submissions (PDF, 13 KB)
Appendix 22.8 - Public Submissions (PDF, 742 KB)
Appendix 22.9 - Public Submissions (PDF, 170 KB)
Appendix 22.10 - Public Submissions (PDF, 241 KB)
Appendix 22.11 - Public Submissions (PDF, 228 KB)