The mid-term review confirms where it is most important to get back on track
A holistic science and implementation review of the Strategy for the period 2018-23 found that some of the Strategy targets are progressing well but others are falling behind.
The review identified sub-catchments across the region that require greater effort, innovation, and collaboration to address multiple declining values.
The review recommendations highlight the need to refocus effort, co-delivery and Traditional Owner engagement. They also focus on the five key themes of stormwater, natural wetlands and headwater streams, vegetation management and deer control, water for the environment and social values.
The review provides the opportunity to reflect, learn and adapt. Its findings and recommendations guide where we need to direct the effort—not just in terms of the focus areas or the priority waterways but also in terms of our efforts to engage with the community, local government, and agencies.
Tracking targets in the Healthy Waterways Strategy annually keeps us focused on the things that matter
Of the 65 catchment scale targets we report this year
are
on track
are
slightly off track
are
significantly off track
In line with the mid-term review, the 2024 annual report continues to show that Vegetation extent and maintenance, environmental water and stormwater are the main targets that are behind where we need to be.
Progress has been made on all 45 Regional Performance Objectives
Mid-term review complete
The mid-term review that commenced in 2023 was completed in 2024. It assessed progress of the strategy and identified areas for improvement. Key documents were published detailing the evaluation outcomes along with a Summary of the recommendations.
Findings from the review provide valuable insights into where we need to double down and re-focus our efforts to get strategy targets back on track.
Melbourne Water and the Region-wide Leadership Group hosted a series of community forums to share findings and recommendations from the mid-term review. Moving forward, additional forums will provide an opportunity for delivery partners to work together to re-assess where we collectively need to focus effort and what work needs to be prioritised, as well as consider new ways of achieving strategy targets and performance objectives.
Key State of the Environment reports released
The office of the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability, following a considered analysis of the available science, pressures and the challenges ahead, compiled Victoria's five-yearly reports - the Victorian State of the Environment 2023 Report and the State of the Birrarung (Yarra) and Its Parklands 2023 Report.
Through the assessment of a range of community and environmental health indicators, the reports tells the story of the health of the environment across Victoria and that of the Birrarung (Yarra) corridor at a time of unprecedented population growth. Both reports build on the findings of baseline reporting undertaken in 2017 and 2018.
The reports includes recommendations, many of which support and align with those of the Healthy Waterways Strategy mid-term review.
Integrated Water Management Plans released
The five Metropolitan Melbourne IWM Forums worked together to develop Integrated Water Management Plans for the Dandenong, Maribyrnong, Werribee, Western Port and Yarra catchments. These were released in April 2024.
The Forums, which were established in 2017, have brought together 49 organisations and co funded over 100 projects across the region.
Progress highlights
Relationship building, information sharing and collaborative projects with Traditional Owners
The rivers, wetlands and estuaries in the region covered by the Healthy Waterways Strategy is the Country of the Bunurong, Gunaikurnai, Taungurung, Wadawurrung and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung peoples. Relationship building, information sharing and collaborative projects have continued in 2023/24 with all Traditional Owners.
Wadawurrung and Melbourne Water undertook many steps and activities in koling wada ngal – walking together. These have focused on fostering connections, culture, and learning about Yaluks (waterways) and who Wadawurrung are through art, animation and digital story telling. A visit to Wadawarrung's Gobata Dja (Caring for Country) nursery in Ballan highlighted Wadawarrung's key objective to see more culturally important plants and threatened species back on Dja.
In 2023/24, work with Wurundjeri focused on cultural ceremony and consultations, cultural heritage management, cultural values work and cultural mapping, cultural awareness and education, water strategy and policy, and caring for Country. Important projects included eDNA training for Narrap Rangers, involvement in seasonal watering plans and streamflow management plans and working towards water returns to the Birrarung. Wurundjeri also had critical involvement in the implementation of the Yarra Strategic Plan, and provided input into the Healthy Waterway Strategy mid-term review and the development of the Watts River Integrated Catchment Management Plan. Narrap Rangers on-ground work focused on the key sites of Yan Yean Reservoir, Bolin Bolin, Laughing Waters, Macedon, Lerderderg, Coranderrk Creek, Brushy Creek, Deep Creek and Dight Falls. Main tasks included managing culturally significant sites, weed control, revegetation, site assessments, and monitoring for waterway, flora and fauna health.
In 2023/24, Bunurong Land Council and Melbourne Water undertook significant productive planning, research and field activity focusing on environmental water planning and policy, flows studies, Sustainable Water Strategy actions, water recovery, Integrated Water Management and eDNA training and surveys. Practical discussions were held about the concept of putting a fishway at the Lower Werribee Diversion Weir to provide fish movement. This was complemented by Tupong monitoring sessions with the Arthur Rylah Institute. The Bunurong seagrass restoration project continued in Western Port with support from Deakin University and an innovative project to record cultural information in the Western Port Bay landscape is under development.
Melbourne Water also facilitated a yarning circle at the Ozwater'24 conference to explore and discuss Water is Life: Traditional Owner Access to Water Roadmap. Water is Life is a plan that sets out the Victorian government's commitments to increase decision-making for Traditional Owners in the management of water landscapes and Traditional Owner access to water. Speakers included Birrarung Council members Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Andrew Gardiner and, water officers from Wadawurrung and Djaara, along with staff from Melbourne Water, Melbourne University and DEECA.
Revegetating in the most important areas is critical!
Over 2,500 hectares of new vegetation has now been established in priority areas along waterways across the region since the strategy began in 2018.
This year the Dandenong and Yarra catchments are both on track to meet the 10-year targets for establishing new vegetation. This is a great result! Efforts have also ramped up significantly since last year across the region, however we are still a long way from reaching the ambitious end-of-Strategy 8,000 hectare target. We remain significantly off-track in the Werribee, Maribyrnong and Westernport catchments. The sub-catchments that are most at risk of not meeting targets and where we need focused efforts to get back on track to support multiple environmental values include Werribee River Upper in the Werribee catchment, Deep Creek Upper and Jacksons Creek in the Maribyrnong catchment and Lang Lang and Tarago in the Westernport catchment.
The mid-term review highlights that establishing vegetation on private land remains increasingly challenging. New ways of engaging private landholders in revegetation projects will be required in order to progress and support environmental values such as platypus and fish as the climate changes. We may also be missing some of the progress that has been made by stakeholders as we are not tracking vegetation established through funding outside of Melbourne Water.
Over 11,000 ha of vegetation was maintained this year and the Yarra, Werribee and Dandenong catchments are all well on their way to managing the areas required to maintain good habitat quality. However, the Maribyrnong and Westernport catchments are significantly off-track, with factors including safety concerns around remote working (particularly in areas with high-quality vegetation) and challenges accessing private property to undertake works, both contributing to this result.
The increase in deer population has been highlighted through the mid-term review as a significant threat that has increased since 2018, especially in the Yarra, Dandenong and Westernport catchments. Whilst some good deer control projects are funded by Melbourne Water, DEECA and local government, there is no on-going coordinated funding occurring across agencies to address the problem for the region.
This is important because the mid-term review has highlighted that grant programs to revegetate riparian areas on private land are facing challenges that are limiting what can be achieved in priority areas. This is consistent with what has been found by other catchment management authorities elsewhere in Victoria.
The mid-term review has also highlighted that deer populations have increased significantly across the region since the strategy was set in 2018. Deer prefer the shady wet areas close to waterways and impacts from browsing, wallowing and rubbing can be significant. Planting in priority areas and maintaining vegetation along waterways remains one of the most important ways to offset the impacts of climate change. Given the increasing costs of revegetation projects, protecting high quality vegetation from deer is prudent to ensure previous investments are protected.
Next we need to use the information outlined in the mid-term review to refocus efforts to get back on track in the most critical areas and meet vegetation establishment targets for Jacksons, Upper Deep and Cardinia Creeks and Lang Lang and Tarago Rivers. We are developing new strategic approaches which will include working with private land holders to explore deer control on private property so that priority areas can be improved and maintained for private and public outcomes both now and into the future. Next year we will also be increasing funding for our incentive program to support landholders in establishing new vegetation, managing weeds and fencing river frontage.
Stormwater – a resource that is still untapped
Urban development is occurring at a rapid rate and since 2018 most of the area of land expected to be subdivided by 2028 has already been developed in most catchments. Traditional approaches to urban development where run-off is piped to waterways with some water quality treatment prior, is not sufficient. Excess stormwater flows that reach waterways through stormwater pipes cause irreversible degradation of natural streams. The strategy sets ambitious targets to harvest and infiltrate stormwater from new development areas to protect waterways in high-value areas.
However, several challenges have caused delays in progressing these targets. The Maribyrnong catchment, which was considered on-track until last year because substantial planning was in place, is now significantly off-track to harvest and infiltrate enough stormwater to mitigate the impact of new urban development. This is because planning for the proposed Sunbury Sustainable Water Futures project has been delayed due to escalation of project costs. Options have been explored to support further planning for this project and enable stormwater harvesting from new developments and transfers to storages to be released to Jacksons Creek in a controlled way.
Similarly, the Werribee catchment is slightly off-track. While some progress has been made this year towards a significant harvesting project in this catchment to mitigate stormwater impacts from the growth of Melton, it is still in the planning stage. The remaining catchments are significantly off-track because of limited evidence of sufficient commitment to projects.
Infiltration targets are still significantly off-track in all catchments. To address this, Melbourne Water and Yarra Ranges Shire Council are working on piloting innovative infiltration solutions such as ephemeral wetlands and riparian sponges. The Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Adaptation (DEECA) has also been investigating implementation pathways for the new Urban Stormwater Management Guidelines released by the EPA in 2021 under the General Environmental Duty framework.
Key obstacles to meeting the stormwater targets include rising project costs, the need for customised solutions for each sub-catchment, lack of demand for stormwater in certain areas, the absence of clear asset types for delivering infiltration targets and complex legal and institutional arrangements. Additionally, regional stormwater harvesting is a relatively new approach, and we are still learning how best to implement it.
Work is underway to address these obstacles, in line with the 2023 mid-term review recommendations. This includes DEECA’s investigation into the feasibility of mandating the EPA flow reduction target, the publication of the Stormwater Industry Guidance Program Plan, the strengthening of council requirements for stormwater management plans and the DEECA led review of stormwater licensing and supply.
This is important because the mid-term review highlighted the urgency of getting the Stormwater targets back on track. This decade and the next are critical periods for urban expansion, making it essential to advance stormwater management, particularly in critical areas such as Jacksons and Emu Creeks where the Sunbury Sustainable Water Futures project is located. The mid-term review modelling also predicted declines of macroinvertebrates in 12 sub-catchments across the region relating to unmitigated urbanisation. Planned harvest and infiltration projects are not progressing quickly enough to keep up with development and mitigate impacts, and in some catchments insufficient projects are proposed or in place.
Excess stormwater flows from urban development has impacts for bays as well as waterway. Both the quantity and quality of stormwater influences the run-off of pollutants from the catchments and the transport of nutrients and sediment loads to the bays. Modelling and monitoring tells us that recent trends in annual loads are deteriorating against targets in EPA Victoria's Environmental Reference Standard 2021. An increasing urban footprint is likely to require more projects to mitigate or utilise the additional run-off volumes generated. Further information about water quality for Port Phillip Bay and Westernport is available in the annual EPA Water Quality Report Card.
Next we need to accelerate progress on the Sunbury Sustainable Water Futures project and the Toolern and Melton stormwater harvesting schemes, along with increasing the number of projects across catchments such as the Yarra and Westernport. Innovation through pilot infiltration projects—like ephemeral wetlands and riparian sponges—should be expanded, supported by stronger industry-wide capacity and collaboration between councils, developers, Melbourne Water, and other stakeholders. This should support the delivery of larger, high-impact projects in priority areas and help limit the degradation of waterways and water quality impacts to Port Phillip Bay and Western Port.
Working to deliver the right water, at the right time, to the right place
This year, Melbourne Water delivered 20.9 GL of environmental water through 23 actions on behalf of the Victorian Environmental Water Holder and in line with the Seasonal Watering Plan. The 2023/24 delivery of environmental water aimed to improve water quality and connectivity in the Maribyrnong system (1,215 ML delivered); maintain or improve channel form, habitat and vegetation, and support fish and frog populations in the Werribee system (261.9 ML delivered); improve wetland vegetation and provide habitat for frogs and birds in the Yarra system (19,006 ML delivered); enhance habitats, maintain vegetation communities, and facilitate movement and spawning of various fish species including the endangered Australian Grayling in the Tarago system (453 ML delivered).
The targets for additional environmental water for the Maribyrnong, Werribee, Yarra and Westernport catchments, however, remain significantly off-track as there has been little progress in establishing new entitlements to date. The Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy (CGRSWS) charts the path for improvement in this area by promoting the greater use of manufactured water and improvements to water efficiency. The CGRSWS aims to return a total of 31.3 gigalitres to Traditional Owners and the environment across the region by 2032. This target is aligned with the strategy target and is supporting progress in several areas.
There are good news for the Wirribi Yaluk (Werribee River) with the Victorian Government committing to return approximately 2 gigalitres of water for the environment from the recently completed Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District (BMID) and Werribee Irrigation District (WID) modernisation projects. This will improve waterway health by maintaining water quality and providing refuges for fish. The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) has convened a working group with Southern Rural Water, Melbourne Water, the Victorian Environmental Water and Traditional Owners to determine the best ways for the recovered water to be formalised in an entitlement, once the water savings have been audited. Some of the entitlement that comes from improvements to the Bacchus Marsh Irrigation District may be accessible in Pykes Creek Reservoir which would maximise the length of waterway that benefits from the additional water.
Modelling over the past year demonstrates that the Werribee River Reconfiguration Project could meet the remaining environmental water shortfall for the catchment. In 2023/24 we sought federal funding to progress this collaboration between Melbourne Water, Greater Western Water, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and Southern Rural Water. If successful, the project would return water to Traditional Owners and the environment through making better use of recycled water and stormwater.
The Maribyrnong River has no environmental water entitlement but unused irrigation licenses are purchased each year when available. During 2023/24, 262 ML of unused irrigation allocations was temporarily traded in the Maribyrnong catchment and released as a series of winter low flows. In preparation for the future, the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Adaptation and Southern Rural Water have also investigated an upgrade to the Rosslynne Reservoir outlet structure. The upgrade has been determined to be feasible and would enable the release of up to 60 ML/day to meet summer fresh and base flow requirements in Jacksons Creek and the Maribyrnong River. In addition, Melbourne Water is investigating the option of increasing the capacity of the outlet structure up to 200 ML/d so that additional flow requirements could be met should environmental water be available to deliver.
In 2023/24, under Action 4-2 of the CGRSWS, water corporations also put forward options to DEECA for how they can reduce reliance on river water for urban water security and return water to the environment and Traditional Owners. DEECA have indicated that they are open to receiving further options in future years. These options will go through a quadruple bottom line assessment approach which takes into consideration environmental, social, economic and cultural outcomes prior to being implemented.
This is important because manufactured water such as desalinised and fit-for-purpose recycled water as well as stormwater play a key role in preparing for a future where the impacts of climate change and declining water availability are likely to be greater than what was predicted in 2018. A re-run of the habitat suitability models, conducted with new climate change predictions as part of the mid-term review, indicates an even greater future impact on platypus and fish than was envisaged in 2018. Declining water availability, already evident in the Long-Term Water Resource Assessment (LTWRA), was also identified as a significant concern in the mid-term review and is likely to already be affecting waterway values. Summer low flows have been found to be particularly declining in a more detailed assessment initiated by Melbourne Water.
Next we need to formalise the increase in Environmental Entitlement for the Werribee so that environmental flows can be delivered as soon as possible, keep the good momentum generated by the CGRSWS and IWM plans going and work to address the shortfalls in the Yarra, Maribyrnong and Westernport catchments. We particularly need to ramp up working together across agencies and with Traditional Owners to integrate our approaches and drive a greater use of manufactured water so that more water can remain in waterways.
We also need to assess how unregulated waterways and their environmental and social values are being impacted by climate change, and continue to investigate and act on opportunities to secure additional reserve volumes where possible.
Some progress on wetlands and headwater protection despite continuing threats
The need to retain and protect natural wetlands and headwater streams from urban development has been an area of focus since the Strategy began in 2018. Headwater streams are the very beginning of and comprise more than 75% of a river network. They are small and often dry for part of the year. There are thousands of kilometres of headwater streams and over 16,000 natural wetlands in the Port Phillip and Westernport region, including 257 regional priority wetlands identified through the Healthy Waterways Strategy.
Last year we reported that another priority wetland, Muddy Gates Lane Swamp Complex had been effectively lost due to urban development. While no regional priority wetlands are assessed as being effectively lost during 2023/24, Rockbank Railway Swamp and Kororoit number 2 are almost certain to be lost in the near future, as previously approved urban development progresses in that area. This would add up to seven regional priority wetland effectively lost since 2018. In total, 15 regional priority wetlands are assessed as being at 'imminent risk' of loss through urban development.
In better news for remaining wetlands, their protection is being considered more carefully in current development planning stages and we have achieved the 2023/24 targets for vegetation buffers and control of key weed and pest animal threats for our selected strategic wetlands. We are also continuing to investigate the potential to purchase wetlands at risk in key locations and to develop Habitat Suitability Models for wetlands that will improve predictions of how urbanisation and climate change will impact these important features in the landscape.
Government agencies are also continuing to work together to protect and manage natural wetlands and headwater streams. Melbourne Water provided comprehensive mapping of wetlands (developed with the University of Melbourne) to DEECA – for incorporation into the proposed State-wide wetland mapping update. Policy options for wetland protection have also been discussed through the development of the new Victorian Waterway Management Strategy.
Melbourne Water has been advocating for headwater stream retention in new growth area PSPs (precinct structure plans) including for Officer South, Devon Meadows, Melton East and Wallan South PSPs. We have also been leading the delivery of Development Services Schemes through finalised PSPs that require integration of drainage and urban form with protected headwater streams in Sunbury growth areas; Sunbury South and Lancefield Rd PSPs and Plumpton PSP. As delivery adheres to parameters set through completed PSPs, many of which are finalised years prior, early input into planning for headwater protection is critical.
The community has also expressed a desire to see better corridor protections along the full length of waterways - from headwater streams to mouth – to enable their full functioning as living entities. A report to recommend riparian buffer widths that enable the retention or restoration of environmental and social values was commissioned and released by advocacy group, the Concerned Waterways Alliance.
This is important because natural wetlands and headwater streams in urban growth areas continue to be at risk. Losing natural wetlands and headwater streams not only means the loss of unique ecosystems and the habitat and value they represent, but also a loss at the landscape scale and an impact on the health and resilience of our rivers. As we lose ‘stepping stones' in the increasingly urban matrix, the ability for native fauna and plants to disperse and retain genetic connectivity across the region – as well as the ecological and hydrodrological functions of our waterways are impacted. Native species of wetland fauna and flora and headwater streams are adapted to cope with ‘boom or bust' cycles driven by rainfall – with wet periods interspersed by dry periods. This means, while populations may contract to occupy the few remaining wetlands during dry periods, they require many and varied natural wetlands during wet periods, to allow their populations to breed, disperse and recover. So non-pristine wetland habitat can play an important role in wetland ecosystem resilience. Likewise, headwater streams are critical to the ecological integrity of overall river health.
Next we need to ramp up efforts to protect at-risk wetlands and continue to achieve increasingly ambitious buffer targets for selected wetlands, as this will allow us to remain on track in future years. We also need to amplify efforts to ensure sufficient protections are in place for natural wetlands and headwater streams. This should include strengthening urban planning and policy processes and informing the development of the next waterway corridor guidelines and Victorian Waterway Management Strategy to better protect function and form as well as wetland condition.
Solutions for key fish barriers are closer
No significant additional fishway projects were completed in 23/24, but solid progress has been made on a number of fronts that will see the situation soon improve. Supporting unimpeded fish movement through the landscape is one of the most important factors in ensuring life cycle completion and breeding success for migratory fish and long-term genetic viability for non-migratory species.
The Dandenong and Maribyrnong catchments remain on-track because key fishways have been completed in previous years. The Werribee and Yarra catchments have multiple fish barriers and both catchments remain slightly off-track. However, good planning and design progress has been made on three individual fishways in each catchment.
Concept design and planning for three of the remaining large barriers in the upper Yarra River on Armstrong, McMahons and Starvation Creeks has progressed and initial business cases have been approved. The three projects are proposed for construction in the next Price Determination (2026-31).
Concept design for the lower Werribee Diversion Weir, a key fish barrier on the Wirribi Yaluk (Werribee River), has been initiated in 23/24 by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and Melbourne Water under the Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy. The inter-agency stakeholder working group (Southern Rural Water, DEECA, Melbourne Water, Parks Victoria and Traditional Owners) are collaboratively working on designs to deliver multiple outcomes including greater fish migration as well as potential improvement to the way environmental water is delivered to the Lower Werribee River.
The Westernport catchment is now only slightly off-track, thanks to the approval of business cases for a crucial fishway on the Lang Lang River. Further progress in business case approvals is anticipated in early 2025, which will bring greater certainty to the project's delivery and likely restore the catchment's status to on-track. The Heads Road Weir fishway on the Lang Lang River would open up more than 204km of riverine habitat for a predicted six species of native fish including the Australian Grayling, listed as vulnerable in under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The delivery of this fishway will be one of the most significant single projects of the Healthy Waterways Strategy.
This is important because the long-term survival of fish species relies on their ability to move and migrate past fish barriers along our waterways and is also impacted by the pressures resulting from climate change. The mid-term review highlighted that investment in building and maintaining fishways is the management intervention that has the most immediate benefit for fish.
Next we need to continue to develop the business case for the fishways on the Lang Lang River, MacMahons Creek, Armstrong Creek and Starvation Creek and collectively decide on the appropriate concept design for the lower Werribee diversion weir to ensure these projects can be delivered as soon as possible.
Catchment forums to share findings and start re-invigorating co-delivery of the strategy
Built into the Healthy Waterways Strategy monitoring and evaluation was a mid-term review – a requirement of the Victorian Waterway Management Strategy. The aim of the mid-term review was to assess how the Strategy is tracking and inform priorities for the remainder of the Strategy. The review also considered the impact of updated climate forecasts and new policies / guidelines on meeting Strategy targets. An Independent Evaluation Panel was established to guide the review and lead an evidence-based process to ensure findings were robust, credible, and aligned with best practice evaluation. The Panel also provided an independent lens to developing the recommendations.
A review of this magnitude doesn't often occur in a Strategy and presents a unique opportunity to reassess and ensure actions maximise opportunities and address the critical issues. The review consisted of:
- a Science Inquiry to assess changes to the trajectory of key values across the region, the state of current threats to waterway conditions and knowledge gaps; and
- an Implementation Inquiry to assess progress and evaluate factors influencing implementation of the Strategy and the likelihood of meeting 10-year Performance Objective targets.
One of the key findings of the mid-term review is that co-delivery between strategy partners need to be re-invigorated. Steps taken towards this in 2023/24 include the continued commitment of dozens of agency and community partners to local waterway collaborations, including for the Merri, Darebin, Moonee Ponds, Gardiners and Mullum Mullum Creeks – as well as the Lower Werribee River and through Burndap Birrarung Burndap Umarkoo. The Maribyrnong River and Waterways Association also initiated a series of think-tanks in the Upper Maribyrnong catchment to build community knowledge and capacity to better engage in waterway decision-making. The Healthy Waterways Region-wide Leadership Group hosted seven agency briefings and community information sessions on the HWS mid-term review findings and recommendations.
This is important because because the strategy targets are complex, ambitious, and delivered in a context where the pressures of climate change and urbanisation on waterway values are increasing. Maintaining and protecting our waterways requires alignment and collaboration with Traditional Owners, key agencies and the community, careful prioritisation and full use of our collective tool box for waterway management. The mid-term review provides an evidence base on which to reset and reinvigorate efforts to get strategy performance objectives back on track and provides information on what is important to focus on and where.
Next we need to respond to the mid-term review inquiry reports. Melbourne Water will lead the development of a response in collaboration with the Region-wide Leadership Group and delivery partners. The response will outline how and where we will collectively focus effort and what work needs to be prioritised, as well as consider new ways of achieving Strategy targets and performance objectives. A suite of engagement events are planned for 2024/25 to continue to share the findings of the Healthy Waterways Strategy mid-term review and deepen the conversation on how we collectively respond.