Screens on irrigation pumps keeping fish safe

A total of seven self-cleaning pump screens have been installed on the pump intake used to extract water for irrigation, downstream of Chaffey Dam, to protect native fish populations by preventing native fish – including larvae and juveniles - from being drawn into irrigation pumps.

According to NSW DPIRD Fisheries research, fish-friendly screens can protect up to 90% of fish, thanks to designs that reduce water intake velocity and prevent fish from becoming trapped against screens or drawn into the irrigation system with the water.

The screens also deliver practical benefits for irrigators, with a self-cleaning design that clears debris whenever pumps are operating, reducing ongoing maintenance requirements and power/fuel consumption.

This work follows the earlier installation of 50 tree snags along the Peel River between Chaffey Dam and Tamworth. These snags provide critical habitat in the form of refuge, feeding and breeding habitat for native fish such as Murray Cod and Silver Perch, while also supporting the biofilm and macroinvertebrates that underpin the river’s food web.

Together, the snags and fish screens work hand-in-hand — increasing habitat and breeding opportunities while helping ensure native fish and important food sources remain within the river system.

With the tree snags and pump screens in place, the final stage of the program will focus on five years of aquatic monitoring. Annual surveys including electro-fishing, larval fish sampling, macroinvertebrate monitoring and biofilm assessments will help track the program’s success and the health of fish populations in the Peel River and broader Namoi catchment.

The screens and snag installation projects are biodiversity offset commitments linked to the Chaffey Dam to Dungowan pipeline project, constructed during the drought as a water-efficiency initiative.