Your Dam Your Responsibility (PDF~1.2MB)

3 Licensing Requirements for Farm Dams
Environmental requirements in the licence may include:
• the design and construction of a fishway approved by the Department of
Sustainability and Environment;
• meeting of environmental flows study approved by the Department of Sustainability
and Environment;
• design and construction of works approved by the Department of Sustainability and
Environment to:
(a) by-pass inflows around the dam during the months of November to June
inclusive, unless otherwise specified; and
(b) maintain an environmental flow in the waterway downstream of the dam at all
times during the year.
Note: The potential high costs associated with alternative supplies of water would
not be considered a sufficient reason alone to construct a dam on a watercourse or a
waterway with high ecological values.
References include:
• Water Act
• Conservation Forest & Lands Act (1987) part 7, schedule 3;
• Flora & Fauna Guarantee Act (1988);
• Lands Act ( 1987);
• Crown Land (Reserves) Act (1978)
• Environmental Protection and Biodiversity and Conservation Act (2000)
• Victoria’s Native Vegetation Management –a Framework for Action (2002)
3.7 On-site Environmental Issues for Dams on Waterways
Flora and fauna
The reason why dams are on waterways is because it is where water naturally collects
and therefore will increase the likelihood of filling a dam. However, what is often
overlooked is that more often than not, waterways provide habitat and water to support
a wide range of native plants and animals. When a dam is built in such areas, these
habitats can be lost through inundation and the physical barrier the dam poses. There are
also changes to the flow patterns resulting from dam construction and operation.
Existing native instream and riparian (streamside) vegetation can be lost through
permanent inundation or removal as a result of dam construction. The dam site may be
a creek, marsh, soak or drainage-line and may not flow for many months of the year.
However, these habitats often support fish, invertebrates (bugs), frogs and birds that are
adapted to these particular conditions. The effect of dams in changing flowing water to
standing water will change the local habitat such that it is no longer suitable for most
flora or fauna found at the original site. The major changes can include reduced flows
downstream, a reduction in water quality, and an increase in water temperature. The
combination of these factors often lead to local extinctions of such flora and fauna.
Dams constructed on waterways can also act as a physical barrier to migratory and
localised movements of aquatic biota, particularly fish. Many species of native fish in
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