Tea Garden Creek Weir Fishway – Worn-down weirs a way for fish to fare (#8)
Julian Martin
1
,
Tom Atkin
1
- Water Technology, Wangaratta, VIC, Australia
- Fishways can enable the passage of fish past instream barriers, allowing for the purpose these structures to be met without hindering fish from completing various aspects of their life cycles. Tea Garden Weir in the Ovens River was listed as a priority barrier in the Native Fish Strategy for the Murray-Darling Basin 2003- 2013. A design to facilitate fish passage past the weir would support populations of important species including Murray Cod and Golden Perch.
- A design was prepared with input from many stakeholders to meet certain criteria, including to maintain as much of the existing structure as possible. However it was later identified that the integrity of the weir was not sufficiently sound to support the integration of a fishway. Revisions to this design needed to consider the weir operational requirements, a multitude of site constraints, complex physical processes occurring in the landscape and diverse fish species.
- This paper presents the learnings of this project, which ultimately resulted in the development and delivery of a full width rock ramp fishway design in early 2023, replacing the existing weir. This design allowed forfish passage to be achieved while supporting the longevity of the weir and its functionality.
- This is an example of a successful fishway design that adapted to changing criteria and addressed complex conditions. It has enabled the passage of important fish species, while upgrading the integrity of an instream structure vital to the community.
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