At workshops 1 and 2 the Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) was given an overview of the issues affecting the upper Murrumbidgee and different river flow alternatives that would support different levels of river health. The SAG were also asked to have input into a set of objectives (which reflect the needs/interests of stakeholders) against which future options can be explored.
Participants reviewed seven categories of objectives that matter to river interests: ecological, water security, human health, recreation, energy, extractive use and management costs. They also reviewed five flow alternatives first considered at the first workshop and recommended an additional two flow alternatives to be modelled for evaluation at the third workshop in late February 2026.
Recognising that some of the flow alternatives will come with significant trade-offs, the SAG also started to identify complementary (non-flow) measures that need to be considered as options for achieving the objectives, including riparian management, pest control, fish restocking and removal of barriers to fish movement.
The draft set of objectives are provided here. Please have a look over them and provide the UMCN (to contact@umcn.org.au) with comments (including if you agree/or not with what has been proposed).