This project has been identified as a priority by the NCCP Operations Working Group.
The NCCP requires detailed costings planning for large scale carp clean-up based on a selected case study region as a critical input to the NCCP Benefit/Cost study. In addition, the further refinement of a case study region applying contemporary biomass and epidemiology outputs, will enable the NCCP to demonstrate how the virus release could occur across a particular region.
The case study refinement project will build upon the 2018 ‘engineering options for large scale carp clean-up workshop and investigations’, in particular building upon the Torrumbarry to Swan Hill Case study.
The project will also provide strategic GIS and mapping services to two other NCCP Case Studies being delivered by third parties. These are:
- The entire Lachlan River catchment, and
- The Murray River and associated wetlands between Lock 1 (Overland Corner) and Lock 3 in (Blanchetown) in South Australia.
Final report
estimate for the carp virus deployment and management across the Southern Murray-Darling Basin
catchment.
The case study was undertaken in three parts, being:
I. An initial investigation designed to develop a conceptual deployment and carcass
management strategy and to test approaches to developing resource plans and costs
estimates. This initial investigation was focussed on the Mid-Murray region of Southern NSW
and Northern Victoria, specifically the Edward River offtake through to the Kow Swamp and
Gunbower Creek areas.
II. A further regional investigation applying the conceptual deployment and management
strategies to a higher carp biomass region with a range of differentiating factors to the Mid-
Murray area, for example static weir pools and extensive connected wetlands. For this
investigation a section of the Lower Murray River and associated wetlands was selected,
specifically the Lock 1 to Lock 3 region in South Australia.
III. The third component of the case study involved scaling up the adopted methodologies to the
entire Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers systems. The area covered included the respective
river systems downstream, and inclusive of, Hume and Burrinjuck reservoirs through to the
Murray Mouth, including the Lower Lakes in South Australia.
It is the third component that is the primary focus of this report, and along with a parallel case study
undertaken by the NCCP covering the Lachlan River catchment in NSW, illustrate how the carp virus
would be implemented to suppress carp populations and manage risks. In addition, the conceptual
resource plans, scheduling and cost estimates have informed the NCCP cost-benefit analysis.
