Cookes Weir
River flow passing through the weir with impassable water velocities
Cookes Weir works
Removal using hammer attachment and access pad
Cookes Weir removed
Stroud Weir fishway
Cone ridge design
Kyogle fishway monitoring
Juvenile Australian Bass captured at upstream end of fishway
Kyogle fishway monitoring
Small species such as Gudgeons were also captures moving through the fishway
Cookes Weir removal
Cookes Weir, located on the Richmond River 13 km upstream of Casino, was identified as a high priority for removal as it has acted as a barrier to fish passage since it was constructed in the late 1960s.
Following the raising of Jabour Weir downstream to improve water security for Casino township, Cookes Weir became redundant, but continued to hamper fish movement upstream despite control boards being removed due to high water velocities pushed through the central opening.
After completing environmental assessments including a riverbed and water level survey, and flora and fauna assessment, the weir was removed in late 2021, improving access for fish to over 250 km of upstream aquatic habitat on the Richmond River.
The Cookes Weir Removal project was a partnership between WaterNSW and DPIRD Fisheries through funding from MEMS.
Stroud Weir fishway refurbishment
Stroud Weir on the Karuah River was built in 1900 as a town water supply dam. Now managed by MidCoast Council, the weir continues to serve this purpose. Previously a barrier to fish passage at low and medium flows, a full-width natural rock ramp fishway was constructed at the weir in 2009 and improved upstream fish passage opportunities. Unfortunately, over time with the impact of flooding flows, some of the natural rock in the fishway has moved and now the fishway is outside of design specifications.
With funding from MEMS and working with project partners MidCoast Council, concept and detailed designs were developed, along with a fish monitoring program. The poorly functioning low flow channel area of the fishway will now be replaced with prefabricated concrete cone baffles which, unlike the existing natural rock ramp fishway, are all a consistent shape and size. Water characteristics within the fishway will therefore be consistent along its entire length and fish passage past the weir will be improved.
Works are scheduled to occur in the 2024 - 25 financial year, with funding from the NSW Estuary Asset Protection (NEAP) Program.
Kyogle fishway monitoring
After Kyogle township’s water supply switched from in-river extraction to off-stream storage in 2017, a prefabricated rock ramp fishway was constructed at its weir, providing fish passage to approximately 1,500 km of upstream Richmond River catchment waterways.
In order to establish the performance of the Kyogle Weir fishway and the V-shaped rock fishway design in general, a monitoring program was developed to record water characteristics through the fishway and what fish species were present in the area surrounding the fishway, and those that have moved successfully through it.
Recent monitoring found 12 native fish species sampled travelling through the fishway, including small fish such as Australian Smelt, rainbowfish and gudgeon species; large fish including the iconic Australian Bass and freshwater Eel Tailed Catfish and other species such as freshwater turtle.