Strategy progress slowed a little during year 2 of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
It has continued to be a challenging year for all of us with a second year dominated by COVID-19 and periodic lockdowns. However on-ground works were maintained so that revegetation, fishway and maintenance targets were mostly achieved. Periodic lockdowns did postpone some activities but no long-term impacts are expected.
Tracking targets in the Healthy Waterways Strategy annually keeps us focused on the things that matter the most
Of the 58 catchment scale targets
were
on track
were
slightly off track
were
significantly off track
were
under review
All 25 catchments targets for vegetation and habitat are on-track.
This is great news, however effort needs to ramp up in future years to remain on-track.
Water for the environment and stormwater need some help to catch up
Progress has been made on all 25 Regional Performance Objectives
Monitoring of values has started
Macroinvertebrates, vegetation, birds and eDNA monitoring started this spring.
We still need to developing monitoring programs for fish, platypus and some of the waterway conditions.
For more information see the Rivers, Wetlands and Estuaries Monitoring and Evaluation Plans.
Improved Healthy Waterways Strategy website
Additions were made to the Healthy Waterways Strategy website.
It now includes information and data on key values and waterway conditions as well as interactive maps to help guide understanding and co-delivery of the strategy.
Urban stormwater management guidelines released
Released by the EPA, the new guidelines support the stormwater targets and provide guidance to developers on the harvest and infiltration volumes required for their development.
Progress highlights
24 million plants by 2028 – thats a lot!
It is a great achievement to have all 5 catchments on track for establishing vegetation in 2021. Almost 500 ha of riparian vegetation was successfully established across the region in 2021, with 80 ha alone established along the upper reaches of Deep Creek in the Werribee Catchment. Other significant vegetation targets were achieved in the Little Yarra and Hoddles Creek subcatchment in the Yarra, creeks along the Mornington Peninsula and Kororoit Creek in the Werribee catchment. Co-delivery has been an essential part of delivering these outcomes, with contributions from land holders, friends groups and agencies including Melbourne Water, local government and Parks Victoria. For another excellent example of the power of co-delivery see the Linking the Landscape case study.
This is important because restoring vegetation along rivers and floodplains is one of the most important actions we can take to improve the health of our waterways. The Strategy sets a bold target of establishing almost 8,000 ha of vegetation over the life of the strategy. This will result in almost 2,000 kms of buffers and biolinks along waterways or around 24 million plants in the ground over 10 years.
Next we need to increase momentum. While a little over 1,200 ha has been achieved since the strategy began, we still have a long way to go to reach the 10 year target. We need to significantly increase the plantings delivered in 2022 to 800 ha to stay on-track. That’s nearly double what was achieved in 2021.
Soaking stormwater in makes a lot of sense
The Healthy Waterways Strategy set out ambitious but critical targets for harvesting and infiltrating stormwater. These targets have been set in response to the Melbourne community’s strong support for stormwater harvesting and infiltration to halt further degradation to waterways. While there are some inroads being made towards harvesting, the infiltration targets are significantly off-track (see Stormwater in the Report Card). Key enablers have been discussed by the Regional Leadership Group (RLG).
This is important because we know urban development dramatically changes the way water moves through the landscape and is one of the biggest threats to the health of our waterways. Infiltrating water into soils will protect base flows in waterways, which we know is critical in a drier climate with more intensive storms. Retaining water in the landscape is also important for urban cooling and there are multiple benefits to be made through achieving the infiltration targets.
Next we need to ensure all new development designs-in infiltration measures. Melton City Council are leading the way by requiring runoff from all new roads to be directed into tree pits which will passively water street trees whenever it rains. The council have also mandated rainwater tanks on new lots (greater than 300 square meters) for toilet flushing and irrigation. For more information see the Shading, cooling and greening Melbourne’s public spaces case study.
Brainstorming stormwater
Several big initiatives occurred for stormwater this past year. EPA flow guidance was released setting out development standards for impervious run-off volumes in alignment with the Healthy Waterways Strategy stormwater targets. For more information see Regional report, Stormwater RPO 14.
Melbourne Water received $98M in stormwater funding to implement large scale stormwater treatment systems. This includes the Sunbury, Upper Merri Creek and Regional Stormwater Harvesting Schemes. These projects will be significant contributors to the stormwater targets, but contributions from co-delivery partners are also critical.
This is important because achieving the stormwater targets will require strong commitment and collaboration across local and state governments, water authorities and the development industry. Including the targets in industry guidance is a critical way to support their achievement.
Next we need to collectively act on the recommendations of the Regional Leadership Group and clarify roles and responsibilities around stormwater asset management and embed the new standards into the planning framework. Melbourne Water will deliver stormwater management over the next 5 years that maximises the benefits of the funding allocation.
Balancing all the water needs is really hard!
The Healthy Waterways Strategy targets for additional environmental water for Maribyrnong, Werribee, Yarra and Westernport catchments are significantly off-track because shortfalls identified in 2006, that were in the last Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy, have not yet been recovered.
Environmental water entitlements are volumes of water held by the Victorian Environmental Water Holder to ensure water is released from supply dams in a way which benefits the downstream waterway.
The Discussion Draft of the Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy has been released for public consultation and the environmental water shortfalls for our region have been provided for consideration in the strategy.
This is important because with climate change and population growth, water needs are becoming a critical concern for both people and the environment. Modelling during the development of the Healthy Waterways Strategy showed projections for platypus in particular are set to decline in a warmer and drier climate.
Next we need to ensure that these shortfalls are formally recognized in the final Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy and solutions are found to secure additional water. It is promising to see work is already well underway across agencies to consider options that will increase our supply by utilising all sources of water. The use of manufactured water such as desalinised and fit-for-purpose recycled water as well as stormwater will be an important part of the solution. It is also a relief that flow conditions have been quite good over the last year given good rainfall across the catchments.
Wetland protection remains a focus
Protecting wetlands from development was a key issue for the Regional Leadership Group in 2021. A Healthy Waterways Strategy partner sub-working group was established and is in the process of developing a decision/risk framework and identifying mechanisms for wetland protection. Updated Healthy Waterways Strategy wetland map layers were shared with strategy partners. See Regional report, Vegetation RPO 29.
We are on-track in all 5 catchments to achieve wetland buffer targets and target key weed and pest animal threats on priority wetlands.
This is important because natural wetlands in urban growth areas are at risk. In the 2019 annual report we reported that 3 priority natural wetlands had been effectively removed by development activities and in 2020 a further 15 priority wetlands were identified to be at risk. The 2021 assessment suggests Sewell’s Road Swamp is now so reduced and altered by urbanisation as to have effectively lost the natural values for which it was recognised, but we must await on-ground assessment before determining the status of this wetland.
Managing vegetation buffers and pests are key activities for wetlands as these protect the wetland function and provide habitat for other values.
Next we need to amplify efforts to ensure sufficient protections are in place for natural wetlands. State-wide mapping needs to be updated using the latest data. Urban planning processes need to be strengthened.
Scaling barriers is a challenge for little fish!
Six projects to construct or improve fishways were progressed or completed this year, including significant works at Pillars Crossing in the Dandenong catchment. Recent monitoring of Dights Falls fishway during high flows has confirmed its optimisation works have been successful. Priority fishways at Armstrong Creek and McMahons Creek in the Upper Yarra (Source) sub-catchment are on hold for 2022-23 due to their expected high cost. Investment in fishways continues as part of Melbourne Water’s planned 5-year investment of $14.5 million for many of the 32 priority fish barriers of lower cost identified in the Healthy Waterways Strategy. For more information on fishways projects, see Improving fish passage in Dandenong Creek case study.
This is important because developing solutions for fish passage has been identified as one of the key factors for success in the recovery of native fish populations. They are critically important for migration and the completion of breeding cycles and hence to the long-term survival of fish species along our waterways. For more information see the Resource Document >>
Next we need to continue working with partners, to seek cost effective fish passage past these 32 fish barriers.
Nibbling away at managing deer
Our knowledge of high quality vegetation is growing. We have mapped more than 5,600 kms of high quality vegetation (around 22,000 ha) along waterways, which is significantly greater than the estimated 1,700 kms (around 6,900 ha) of the Strategy
The Healthy Waterways Strategy target sets an ambitious target of managing all high quality riparian vegetation by 2028. In 20/21 we managed 5,588 ha and are on-track. Large areas were managed along Jacksons Creek, Lerderderg River, Werribee River, Upper Bunyip River, and the Upper Yarra river.
Despite being on track, deer are an increasing threat to high quality vegetation. Collaborative research identified specific ecological values at high risk from deer impact and the most cost-effective management responses. To date, deer control has not been sufficiently implemented across the region, noting the good efforts of the Bunyip Recovery Deer Control Program - a partnership between Parks Victoria and Melbourne Water and the Tarago Deer Program run by DELWP and partners. For more information see the Deer oh dear! case study.
In 2020 the Victorian Government released the Victorian Deer Control Strategy and is in the process of developing a peri-urban Melbourne Deer Control Plan that aims to guide and coordinate deer control efforts across partner organisations.
This is important because deer are an increasing threat to high quality vegetation because numbers are increasing. They eat and trample vegetation, snap shrubs and young saplings, ring-bark trees by ‘antler rubbing’, and make large wallows in wet areas that impact unique vegetation and frog habitat. They also have negative impacts on agricultural areas, water supply reservoirs and road safety.
Next we need to update the high quality vegetation targets to include the additional areas of vegetation recently identified. We will continue existing deer control programs such as the Bunyip Recovery Deer Control Program. Once finalised, undertake actions highlighted in the peri-urban Melbourne Deer Control Plan and prioritise areas to undertake additional deer control with a coordinated program-level view.
Tracking the tracks in Westernport
The Westernport catchment is off-track for access and it is going to be challenging to achieve the 10 year target. Westernport is a very diverse catchment with pockets of development amongst large rural areas with a lot of private river frontage.
This is important because access is key to improving the social values of amenity, recreation and community connection. Formal and informal paths support access opportunities that suit a variety of community needs. Access facilities such as launching ramps and steps facilitate safe entry to the water for boating and canoeing. For more information on examples of improving access see the Improving canoe and kayak access to the Yarra River case study.
Next we need to better understand the future plans for access and open space improvements around and along waterways in the Westernport catchment.
Keeping an eye on bugs in the system
We track waterway condition using macroinvertebrates because they are a good overall indicator of waterway health.
Macroinvertebrate communities in Melbourne’s forested catchments remain stable and in very good condition, but decline with increased urbanisation. However, there is evidence that implementation of dispersed stormwater controls has improved macroinvertebrate condition in parts of the Dandenong catchment to good and very good. Data for a range of sites is available on the macroinvertebrate values page.
This is important because knowledge of trends in waterway condition are used to support the Healthy Waterways Strategy by, for example, setting targets for greater stormwater controls in priority areas to protect and improve waterway health.
Next we need to undertake analysis of all values data as part of the mid-term evaluation in 2022/23.
Exciting new biodiversity monitoring methods ready to go
New monitoring methods have been developed that can detect the presence of animals from small fragments of DNA (eDNA) in water samples taken from rivers, wetlands and estuaries. These methods have been in development for 8 years and are now ready to be implemented as a routine monitoring program across the region.
This is important because efficient, effective and safer ways to monitor waterway species over a broad scale will greatly improve understanding of species distributions across the region and help us track waterways values such as platypus, fish and frogs in a way that was not practically possible before.
For more information on how eDNA will be used to track waterway values see the Rivers, Wetlands and Estuaries Monitoring and Evaluation Plans.
Next we need to roll out the monitoring program at over 1000 sites across the region in the spring and autumn of 2021/22. This will comprehensively sample and take inventory of the values across the region, providing valuable information on species distribution, at a scale that has never been achieved before.