1. Water Quality in
Melbourne’s
waterways – an
urban context
Waterwatch Presentation
Julia Vanderoord
Waterwatch Coordinator
North East Melbourne
Waterwatch

2. River and Creek Conditions
Source: Port Phillip & Westernport Regional River Health Strategy
A recent analysis
shows that 25% of
rivers and creeks in
Melbourne are in good
or excellent condition
and 75% are in
moderate to very poor.
Results reflect land use
patterns

3. What do the results mean?
These results reflect the major land use patterns.
The rivers and creeks located in mountainous, forested areas are in
excellent to good condition. Large parts of these areas are protected for
water supply purposes.
Condition deteriorates progressively downstream as a result of:
•poor quality drainage and runoff from urban and agricultural land
•weeds
•bed and bank erosion
•loss of in-stream habitat
•presence of barriers to fish migration
•modified flows in many rivers and creeks, which have resulted from:
–Increased urbanisation and land clearing
–The extraction of water for urban and agricultural uses.
Lets explore each of these items in more
detail……

4. •One of the biggest issues in Melbourne
•60,000 truckloads of litter (50% of this is
cigarette butts) and other pollutants enter
our waterways each year via the
stormwater system
•Velocity- leads to bank instability
and erosion
•Effects?
•Suggested actions to improve?
1. Poor quality drainage and runoff
from urban and agricultural land
(stormwater)

5. •Loss of habitat
•Some weeds have drastic
effects on riparian system (ie
willows, salvinia,
alligator weed)
•Sedimentation
•Shading out of ground level
and in-stream
•Changes to flow (ie willows)
•Effects?
•Suggested actions to
improve?
2. Weeds

6. •Caused by:
– high intensity
stormwater flows, poor
engineered placement
of drain openings
–loss of infiltration areas
(ie more concrete in
catchments) increases
velocity of water
-loss of habitat- bare
ground
•Effects?
•Suggested actions to
improve?
3. Bed and bank erosion

7. •Caused by:
– straightening and de-
snagging of streams (floods)
-deepening of streams
-draining and removal of
wetlands
Removal of rocks (riffles)
-changes to flow regimes (ie
flooding, drought)
•Effects?
•Suggested actions to
improve?
4. Loss of in-stream habitat

8. •Caused by:
•Fast flows in concrete channels
•Weirs & waterfalls
•Dams, lakes, reservoirs
•Bridges and culverts
•Low flows (use of water for
irrigation etc)
•Effects?
•Suggested actions to
improve?
5. Presence of barriers to fish migration

9. •Caused by:
•Irrigation at inappropriate times
•Reservoirs & dams
•Drought
•Farm dams
•Effects?
•Suggested actions to
improve?
6. Modified flows in many rivers and creeks

10. For further information:
Melbourne Water Website: www.melbournewater.com.au
The Biodiversity management issues series (produced by DSE)
DSE website: www.dse.vic.gov.au
The River Landscapes series. (Land & Water Australia, Canberra,
Weblink: www.lwa.gov.au
Local Council websites
PPWCMA website: www.ppwcma.vic.gov.au
DPI website: www.dpi.vic.gov.au
Environmental indicators for Metropolitan Melbourne :
www.aius.org.au/indicators