Improving Our Rivers and Creeks
We invest more than $26 million a year in our Healthy Rivers Program to protect and improve the health of our rivers and creeks. Almost $10 million is invested in the Yarra catchment alone. The Healthy Rivers Program is a long-term program of improvement works that includes:
- Improving waterway beds and banks
- Preventing pollution and excessive erosion
- Creating and improving habitats
- Improving water quality by constructing litter traps, wetlands and other stormwater projects
- Removing weeds and cleaning up pollution spills and litter
- Replanting stream edges in partnership with landowners and local councils
- Research and monitoring programs
- Educating and involving the community.
Melbourne Water worked with the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority (CMA), councils, community groups and environmental and industry associations to produce the draft Port Phillip and Westernport Regional River Health Strategy. The strategy aims to improve the health of rivers and creeks in the Port Phillip and Westernport region over the long term.
Some of Melbourne Water's river health projects and programs are listed below:
- Assisting local councils
- Community Education
- Community grants and programs
- Stream Flow Management Plans
- Stream Frontage Management Program
- Bulk Entitlements
- Northern Sewerage Project
- Stormwater Quality Offsets
- Waterway Management Activity Plans
- Wetlands