Darling Baaka River Health Report Card

The NSW DCCEEW Water Wetlands and Coastal Science branch has recently completed a 2-year river health and ecological monitoring program on the lower Darling Baaka River. Funded by the EPA after the mass fish deaths in March 2023, the Darling Baaka River Health Project (https://naturalhazardsscience-hub.seed.nsw.gov.au/article/darling-baaka-river-health-project) implemented a comprehensive research and monitoring program to assess the health of the lower Darling Baaka between Wilcannia and Wentworth, including the Great Darling Anabranch. Framed around the River Condition Index, the project assessed geomorphic condition, water quality, biodiversity condition, riparian vegetation condition, hydrological stress, and landscape disturbance.\r\nFindings highlight a river system under stress, with the majority of the lower Darling Baaka characterised by poor water quality, poor biological condition and high levels of hydrological stress. For more information see, DCCEEW (2025) Darling Baaka River Health Project 2023 to 2025, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water, Parramatta, NSW.