Yanco Creek Efficiency Project

The Yanco Creek system is an important irrigation asset and a contributor to broader environmental health of one of Australia's most important waterways, the Murrumbidgee River system.

The efficiency of water delivery to irrigators along Yanco Creek and its anabranches will be improved as part of the CARM Project.

The Yanco Creek system is around 800 kilometres in length and because of its location at the lower reaches of the Murrumbidgee River system, water releases for Yanco Creek users are subject to relatively high losses through seepage, evaporation and overbank flows.

The project seeks to reduce evaporation losses, rehabilitate some anabranches and wetlands to replicate more naturally occurring wet and dry cycles, provide alternate and more efficient water supply pathways into the creek, and improve gauging, metering and monitoring of water use.

An Environmental Flows Study will be undertaken to evaluate the ecological values of the Creek System and to outline future environmental watering requirements.

Many irrigators along the Murrumbidgee River system will receive new telemetry-enabled meters as part of our upgrade of infrastructure and operations. The fully installed meters are funded by Water for Rivers and installation will be complete by June 2012.

Project benefits

• Water savings achieved by the reduction of losses and more efficient delivery strategies
• Ecological rehabilitation of identified anabranches and wetlands in Yanco Creek system by returning to a more natural wetting and drying regime
• Improved system gauging, improved metering and monitoring of water use.
• Environmental Flows Study that can be used to help procure environmental water for the Yanco Creek System.

For further information on the Yanco Creek Efficiency Project, please view the Frequently Asked Questions