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Reviving the drought-ravaged Hattah Lakes has been a visionary project facilitated by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment and the Murray Darling Basin Authority along side the land manager Parks Victoria, as part of a sustained effort to restore better health to this system of semi-permanent freshwater lakes within Australia' s largest and most important river system.

The Hattah Lakes system is an iconic environmental oasis in Australia' s Murray Darling Basin. The lakes are part of the 48,000 hm(2) Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, 60 km south of Mildura, Victoria. The 18 km Chalka Creek connects to the Lakes to the River Murray. The lakes support populations of River Red Gums and many threatened and rare native plants and animals. Twelve of the 21 lakes are Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar convention and many of the bird species found at the lakes are recognised under the China-Australia Migratory Birds Agreement and/or the Japan-Australia Migratory Birds Agreement. This critical ecosystem has been threatened by the effects of river regulation, ongoing drought and low inflows. The natural flooding pattern has been reduced, leaving important flora and fauna struggling to survive.

The Mallee CMA has worked with a range of government agencies; indigenous stakeholders; not for profit organisations; corporate bodies; and community groups to make it possible to return environmental flows to Hattah Lakes, with the support of the wider community.

The Authority is now supporting a multi-million dollar works project at Hattah Lakes to provide a long-term solution to protecting and enhancing the system' s ecological future. This is part of Australia' s largest river restoration program and will involve the construction of a permanent pumping station, environmental regulators and stop banks. Construction began in early 2012 and will cost an estimated $ 30 million. At the maximum inundation level, 119,500 mL of water will be used to inundate 6,383 hm(2). Approximately half the water used will be returned to the river system.

This environmental works program will be an exemplary engineering achievement that will help a vital part of Australia' s natural environment to survive; it is also a leading example of what can be achieved when all levels of government work together with Indigenous stakeholders and the wider community.