About Yarrawonga Weir
Goulburn-Murray Water operates Yarrawonga Weir on behalf of the MDBA. It is the largest of the 16 weirs managed by the MDBA.
Location
Yarrawonga Weir is located on the Murray River near the towns of Yarrawonga in Victoria and Mulwala in NSW. The Weir is approximately 230 km downstream of Lake Hume and 1,992 km from the Murray mouth.
History
Construction of the weir and its offtakes began early in 1935 and was completed in 1939. The water impounded by the Yarrawonga Weir forms Lake Mulwala, which has a capacity of 117,500 ML.
A hydro-electric generation facility at Yarrawonga Weir was commissioned in June 1994. The facility has a maximum capacity of about 9.6 MW.
Operations
Yarrawonga Weir raises the water level of the River Murray to allow diversions of water under gravity. An average of 1,900 GL or 17% of the river's annual flow is diverted annually to the Yarrawonga Main Channel and the Mulwala Canal.
The Yarrawonga Main Channel services the Murray Valley Irrigation Area of Victoria, which extends from Yarrawonga to Barmah and south to the Broken and Nine Mile Creek systems. The channel has a discharge capacity of 3,100 ML/d and distributes water to an area of 128,000 ha via a network of six main channels and 261 spur channels.
The Mulwala Canal is a much larger structure and has an offtake capacity of 10,000 ML/d. Water diverted through the Mulwala Canal supplies the Berriquin, Denimein, Deniboota and Wakool irrigation districts in southern New South Wales. The total annual water allocation to these districts exceeds 1,000,000 ML over an area of 700,000 ha.
A unique feature at Yarrawonga Weir is the fish lift located adjacent to the power station. Constructed in 1994, the lift provided the first opportunity in 60 years for fish to travel upstream of the weir.
Lake Mulwala Land and On-Water Management Plan
On behalf of the Murray Darling Basin Authority, a Lake Mulwala Land and On-water Management Plan was developed and released in December 2004. The Plan provides a strategic approach to management of land and on-water issues at Lake Mulwala such as community awareness and involvement, water quality, ecological health, safe use, planning and development and cultural heritage.
The Plan does not make recommendations on storage operational issues, including storage filling and releases. Successful implementation of the Plan has continued since this time.
You can find out more and read the plan at our Land & On Water Management Plans page.
In December 2008 the Plan was reviewed, and an addendum to the Plan was produced. The 2008 addendum includes refocused and more specific actions and strategies more relevant to the current operating environment, but which remains true to the vision, themes and intent of the original Plan.
Fact Sheet - Egeria in Lake Mulwala under control
Lake Mulwala Quick Reference Guide - December 2008
Lake Mulwala - General Information
Lake Mulwala - Water Quality Brochure
Lake Mulwala - Vegetation Brochure
Managing Public Foreshore Land at Lake Mulwala
Jetties
For more information on jetties please visit our Foreshore Occupation Licences page.
Further Information
Lake Mulwala Boating & Facilities Map
