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1 Doc Ref: MW submission to ENRC Enquiry into Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Aug11.doc

ENRC Inquiry into Flood Mitigation Infrastructure

Submission by Melbourne Water 5 August 2011

Who is Melbourne Water? Melbourne Water is a statutory corporation, fully owned by the Victorian Government. Melbourne Water is a water resource manager with three main areas of responsibility: 1. Provision of wholesale water and recycled water services to retail water businesses 2. Provision of wholesale sewerage services to retail water businesses 3. Provision of waterways and drainage services in the Port Phillip and Westernport

region, which includes the greater Melbourne community. Melbourne Water’s waterways and drainage responsibilities include providing river health, water quality, floodplain and regional drainage services across the region as outlined in the Water Act 1989 and our Statement of Obligations. The Water Act 1989, in particular Part 6 Division 2, and Part 10, Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 4 gives Melbourne Water the authority to manage waterways, regional drainage and floodplain management services. Melbourne Water also has specific delegated Ministerial functions under the Water Act, including diversions management (the licensing of water extractions) and licensing of works by others on waterways. In other regions, the responsibility for the provision of waterways and drainage services (river health and floodplain management) rests with the relevant Catchment Management Authority. Within the Port Phillip and Westernport region however, the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority does not have responsibility for the management of waterways and regional drainage and river health. Melbourne Water’s Area of Responsibility and assets Our area of responsibility covers the 12,800 square kilometre Port Phillip and Westernport region which includes the river basins of Werribee, Maribyrnong, Yarra and Bunyip with a significant portion of the catchment highly urbanised. A map of our region is shown at Figure 1 on page 3. In our region, we manage approximately: • 8,400 kilometres of rivers and creeks • 1,463 kilometres of drains • 195 kilometres of levees • 214 retarding basins • 22 pump stations • 305 constructed waterways treatment systems and wetlands • 299 monitoring stations on waterways and drains • 104 urban lakes. How is Melbourne Water funded to undertake Waterways and Drainage Services? Melbourne Water’s Waterways Group manages rivers and creeks and major drainage systems throughout the Port Phillip and Westernport region. The Group’s activities are funded via a Waterways and Drainage Charge which is levied on customers in the region. The charge appears on customer’s water bills and is collected by seven water retailers within the region on our behalf.

Figure 1. Port Phillip and Westernport Region

2 Doc Ref: MW submission to ENRC Enquiry into Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Aug11.doc

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The Essential Services Commission (ESC) regulates Melbourne Water’s prices for waterways and drainage services and endorses service commitments. The Waterways Operating Charter supports pricing submissions to the ESC. Every five years, Melbourne Water must submit a Water Plan to the ESC outlining what activities we propose to undertake to manage waterways and drainage services across the region and the cost associated with this. The ESC then reviews the proposed programs and provides a determination on what price will be set for the five year period. There is a Waterways and Drainage charge for properties within the urban growth boundary and a Waterways (only) charge for properties outside the urban growth boundary. This reflects the different level of services provided to urban and rural communities. There are also two special precept areas where charges are based on specific levels of service – Patterson River Precept Area and Koo Wee Rup and Longwarry Flood Protection District. Funding for the five year period from 2008/09 to 2012/13 totals some $844 million. This is allocated to the following key activities: • $11.6 million - community and stakeholder • $1751 million – managing waterway improvement • $9.8 million – managing environmental flows • $87.32 million – managing water quality • $179.63 million – flood and drainage management • $380.54 million – managing urban growth Flood Management within the Region Floods are a natural and inevitable event. We cannot always control them. Therefore, we must learn how we can live with them while minimizing risks to public health and safety, property and infrastructure. As the regional drainage and floodplain management authority for the region Melbourne Water is responsible for the management and maintenance of numerous retarding basins, levee banks, pump stations and flood gates along with over 8,400 kilometres of rivers and creeks and 1463 kilometres of drains. Commonwealth, State, regional and local authorities as well as local communities and individuals all have a vital role to play in flood management. The scope of flood management is described within the contact of three overlapping activity clusters: prevention, response and recovery – see Figure 2.

1 Includes funding for monitoring, investigations and research projects and some waterways community projects such as stream frontage management grants 2 Includes funding for monitoring, investigations and research projects 3 Includes funding for monitoring, investigations and research projects 4 Mainly funded by development industry rather than through waterways and drainage charge

Figure 2. Flood management activities in Victoria Melbourne Water’s flood management functions include: • Undertaking flood studies and flood mapping • Identifying flood affected land • Undertaken flood prevention works such as retarding basins, levees and pipe

augmentation • Assisting the Bureau of Meteorology with flood forecasting and warning • Advising planning authorities regarding appropriate land use and development of

flood affected areas through our role as a planning permit referral authority • Supporting community education and awareness programs • Planning regional drainage systems to ensure new urban development meet

appropriate standards of flood protection and environmental performance • The ownership and maintenance of drainage assets where the catchment area is

greater than 60 hectares • Assessment of planning permit applications to subdivide land or develop flood

affected land The Port Phillip and Westernport region faces significant flood management and drainage challenges that require a coordinated and collaborative approach by flood managers and the community. There are currently more than 100,000 properties in the region that are known to be at risk from flooding from a 1 in 100 year ARI event of which 82,000 properties are at risk from flooding from overland flows. More than 40,000 of these properties contain buildings or dwellings that are at risk of flooding above floor level. On average, the damage caused by flooding in the region has been estimated to be $245 million each year.

In 2007 Melbourne Water published the Flood Management and Drainage Strategy for the Port Phillip and Westernport Region5. The strategy was prepared following discussions between government departments, councils, emergency service organisations, and other agencies about how we can improve the management of flood risk in the region. The strategy recognised that we couldn’t construct required works to protect all properties in the region from flooding during large flood events due to a number of reasons including: • It is not physically feasible to construct the required works • The multi-billion dollar cost and extreme disruption of such works • The time frame to build such expensive infrastructure would exceed the lifespan of

the properties they attempt to protect. However, the strategy recognised that although it’s not possible to make the region completely free from flooding, there are some flooding risks that we may decide are extreme and should be reduced or eliminated as a priority. The strategy proposed an accelerated program to identify and deal with extreme flood risks across the region. As part of the strategy, Melbourne Water will continue to map flood affected areas and will sponsor research into the intangible social and human health impacts of floods to develop an improved flood risk assessment tool that takes these costs to account when determining flood risk priorities and responses. Throughout the strategy there is broad recognition that no single organisation and no single approach can deliver an effective response to flood management issues. While Melbourne Water and councils will continue to deploy engineering solutions to mitigate flood risks, it is recognised that this approach must be accompanied by a range of non-structural responses. There are other tools that are equally effective and significantly less expensive, such as planning controls and public awareness programs that can be deployed immediately to assist in treating the residual and future flood risks. These tools will be developed in partnership with other flood managers. In particular, the strategy recognises the importance and benefits of improved education in assisting the community prepare, respond and recover from floods. Part of this focus on existing flood risks will also involve working with councils to develop local flood management plans, and working with the State Flood Policy Committee, Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner and other stakeholders to develop an integrated flood management planning framework. These plans will outline roles and responsibilities, set priorities, aims and goals, and establish work programs and targets to address flood management objectives identified in the strategy. The strategy defines five flood management objectives and outlines actions that will be undertaken to achieve each objective and guide priorities and expenditure by Melbourne Water. Objective 1 – Completing the knowledge base • Undertake and maintain flood mapping for the region taking into account climate

change and urban consolidation • Update and maintain flood information for municipal planning schemes to ensure

appropriate standards of flood protection for new development in flood affected areas

5 Internet link to copy of strategy –http://www.melbournewater.com.au/content/publications/reports/flood_management_and_drainage_strategy.asp

• Support collaborative research into the social and economic impacts of flooding. Objective 2 – Potential long term future pressures on existing drainage systems • Work with DPCD and local government to understand impact of urban consolidation

on runoff volumes and flood risk in existing urban areas • Develop flood risk management measures in partnership with other stakeholders

that may include infrastructure upgrades, planning and building controls to limit imperviousness and stormwater capture and reuse

• Support research programs to better understand impacts of climate change on flood and drainage management

• Develop adaptable flood management programs to deal with changing rainfall patterns, rising sea levels, and storm surge.

Objective 3 – An agreed approach to managing existing regional flooding problems • Sponsor research and consult stakeholders to develop criteria to establish flood risk

tolerability thresholds which take into account social flood impacts • Develop and implement a program to eliminate or reduce extreme flood risks Objective 4 – Enhanced community education, flood awareness and preparation • Develop and implement a community flood education, awareness and preparedness

program, including flood warning. Objective 5 – Agreed responsibilities and improved collaboration between flood management agencies • Work with stakeholders to develop and implement an integrated flood management

planning framework for the region • Provide technical and financial assistance to councils that have identified flood risk

for the preparation and review of flood management plans. In 2008 Melbourne Water embarked on a program of implementing the various actions contained within the Flood Management and Drainage Strategy. We have a long term objective (25 to 30 years) of reducing the flood risk for those waterways and drainage systems with an extreme flood risk. In determining the flood risk we consider the consequences associated with the economic impacts, the public safety and the social impacts of flooding as outlined in Melbourne Water Flood Risk Assessment: How flood impacts are assessed in the Port Phillip and Westernport Region6. Flood Monitoring within the Region During a flood event, the key role of Melbourne Water is to minimize the impact of flooding (loss of life and property, disruption of services, etc) on the community and environmental and public assets. This role is supported by: • Effective monitoring of rainfall and river levels and waterways and drainage system

assets • Providing timely flood warnings, flood predictions, and/or flood advice to the Bureau

of Meteorology (BoM), Victoria State Emergency Services (VICSES) and related agencies

• Effective collaboration with associated organisations. With regard to flood monitoring, Melbourne Water installs, operates and maintains telemetered rainfall and level gauging stations that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and includes over 200 real time monitoring sites measuring rainfall or river level

6 Link to risk assessment methodology – http://www.melbournewater.com.au/content/library/drainage_and_stormwater/flood_management/flood_risks/Flood_Risk_Assessment_Summary.pdf

or a combination of both. Various alert and alarm levels are set up within the system for these stations to provide warnings of heavy rainfall and high water levels. With regard to flood warnings and coordination with external organisations, by agreement with the BoM, Melbourne Water is responsible for providing BoM with flood predictions and flood warnings for the five major river systems within our area – Werribee, Maribyrnong, Yarra, Dandenong and Bunyip – and the four minor catchments of Kororoit Creek, Plenty River, Diamond Creek and Merri Creek. The BoM will then distribute these warnings to media, VICSES, Victoria Police and related organisations. Melbourne Water uses the Unified River Basin Simulator (URBS) software to provide predicted river levels, initially based on rainfall predictions provided by BoM, and later with actual rainfall numbers from our monitoring network along with any further rainfall predictions provided by BoM. A recent initiative has seen the establishment of a pilot flash flood warning system. The system uses existing monitoring sites and based on rainfall intensities or flows from existing structures sends text alert messages (SMS) to a pilot group of residents’ mobile phones indicating possible heavy rain that may lead to flash flooding. The alerts do not indicate that flooding is predicted to happen just that there is a significant rainfall event occurring. Flash flooding generally has very short lead times therefore the ability to provide effective warnings is limited. This pilot is to test both the use of our system for such warnings as well as the attitude of residents to receiving such messages. Melbourne Water is a support agency for flood events. Flood Management and Drainage Strategy Implementation Steady progress is being made with implementation of all actions contained within the strategy. Of specific note is the work on objectives 3, 4 and 5 for which further details of progress is provided below. Objective 3 – An agreed approach to managing existing regional flooding problems An important first step in achieving this objective was the publication in October 2010 of the flood risk assessment document referred to previously in footnote 2. Melbourne Water measures flood risk by determining the likelihood of a hazardous flood and the nature and severity of its consequences ie where is flooding most likely to occur, what sort of impacts would it have, and how much damage could a flood cause. While the focus on flood risk assessment traditionally has been placed on economic consequences the strategy recognised the need to place equal emphasis on the social and safety impacts of flooding. This change in approach has been achieved in our Flood Risk Assessment Framework which gives equal consideration to all of these factors in the assessment of flood risks for the region. Linked to this framework has been a significant increase in funding for implementation of flood protection works. Historically capital expenditure on flood protection works has been around $2 to $3 million annually. With the support of the Flood Management and Drainage Strategy this current Water Plan includes capital expenditure of some $85 million over the five year period for construction of flood protection works. This funding should help to achieve the Waterways Operating Charter commitment of reducing currently known extreme flood risk by 10% by 2013. In addition to this new flood protection works Melbourne Water also spends around $17 million per annum maintaining and operating the drainage system. This equates to a further $85 million over the five year period of the Water Plan.

Objective 4 – Enhanced community education, flood awareness and preparation In 2009 Melbourne Water entered into a partnership with the VICSES. The partnership recognised that there are significant benefits to be gained from working together to undertake community education and awareness within the region. FloodSafe is a community education package designed and delivered by VICSES to educate communities about their local flood risks and how community members can prepare for and respond to flooding in their community. As a key element of the VICSES and Melbourne Water partnership FloodSafe will be delivered in areas at-risk of flooding as well as program elements designed to capture people who may travel through at-risk areas. In addition to delivering the FloodSafe program it is acknowledged that the community should also be informed about preparing for storms, which are often associated with the occurrence of floods. VICSES has developed a StormSafe education program to raise community awareness regarding how to prepare for and respond to severe storms. Through the VICSES and Melbourne Water partnership it has been agreed that StormSafe will be rolled out at the same time as the FloodSafe program. These programs are delivered with funding and assistance from Melbourne Water. The program will aim to capture communities at risk within the Port Phillip and Westernport Region (similar boundary to the VICSES Central Region). The three Community Education Facilitators to be employed by VICSES with funding provided by Melbourne Water (including funding for program delivery), will each work in partnership with one of the emergency management officers already employed at VICSES Central Region. VICSES as the control agency for flooding has an important role in educating communities about flooding, however, as yet has not received government funding to complete this role. VICSES is currently reliant on grant funding and partnerships with agencies such as Melbourne Water to undertake this role. Objective 5 – Agreed responsibilities and improved collaboration between flood management agencies Since 2008 Melbourne Water have been working with local government and VICSES to develop Flood Management Plans (FMPs) and Flood Emergency Plans. The strategy recognised a need for a more coordinated and integrated approach to dealing with flood risks within the region. Through the strategy we have been able to provide technical and financial assistance to councils with an identified flood risk for preparation and review of an FMP and FEP. Melbourne Water provides recourses to help facilitate the development of the plans. FMPs improve collaboration, clarify roles and responsibilities, and describes, at a high level, council and Melbourne Water’s key flood management planning and management activities. It details the flood risks for the municipality, particularly identifying any ‘hot spots’ or problem areas and it also contains an improvement plan detailing actions required to address any key gaps identified in developing the plan. The action plan is reviewed annually for progress and will be revised every five years. Melbourne Water leads the development of the FMPs however it requires strong collaboration with both council and VICSES. A significant amount of flood intelligence is developed during the process through the collaborative workshop process adopted to prepare the FMPs. An FEP brings together the resources of many agencies and the community to develop emergency management arrangements in relation to flood preparedness, response and recovery. An FEP relies heavily on the flood intelligence information derived from the

FMP. VICSES leads the development of the FEP however MW provides support during the process. Although a formal integrated flood management planning framework has not yet been developed for the State the model being piloted within the Port Phillip and Westernport region provides a working example of what can be achieved.

a) Identifying best practice and emerging technology for flood mitigation and monitoring infrastructure

Melbourne Water is: • Currently piloting a ‘flash flood’ warning process for small urban stream (Brushy

Creek) and an underground drain (Blackburn South Drain). Evaluation of this process will determine next steps;

• Upgrading current Event Reporting Radio Telemetry System (ERRTS) telemetry devices proposed for implementation during Water Plan 3 (covering years 2013 to 2018). Current technology up to 15 years old;

• Looking at remote cameras for fixed sites eg Police Road Retarding Basin, to help with flood intelligence gathering and system performance monitoring.

Melbourne Water has prepared two documents dealing with Flood Warning: • A Flood Warning Manual and a Flood Response Plan; • The Flood Warning Manual is a document used by Flood Warning Duty Officers

and it is a live document. Being updated regularly as improved flood intelligence is gathered in response to rainfall events, not just major floods;

• The Flood Response Plan is a GEMS document and is updated every one to two years. Version 6.4 was published in November 2009 and Version 6.5 was published in May 2011.

b) The management of levees across Victoria, including ownership, responsibility and maintenance on both public and private land Melbourne Water manages over 214 retarding basins and over 195km of levees across Greater Melbourne. These basins and levees were constructed to protect the downstream and adjacent environment, people and property from flooding. Melbourne Water is currently developing a strategy to investigate current risk of each asset to enable prioritisation to implement risk reduction works. Both of these asset classes are currently managed as per our Flood Control Structures Strategic Asset Management Plan7 (SAMP) implemented in 2010 which is reviewed every 2 years. Through this SAMP Melbourne Water has defined a level of service which includes having regard for the ANCOLD (Australian National Committee of Large Dams) guidelines and our inspection frequency which is based on the “Hazard” rating of each asset. This hazard rating is based on the predicted consequences if the asset was to fail. All new retarding basins are being constructed, designed and managed as per the “Guidelines for the Design and Assessment of Retarding Basins 2010” contained in Melbourne Water’s Land Development Manual. These guidelines state that any retarding basin built for Melbourne Water by external parties must have regard for ANCOLD guidelines. Since 2007 Melbourne Water has been investigating the risks associated with our retarding basins. This process has taken a four stage approach to identify retarding basin risk based on ANCOLD. These stages are:-

7 This is an internal Melbourne Water document intended for the use of Melbourne Water staff only, but could be made available for viewing by the ENRC Panel if required

1. Simplistic desktop assessment (to prioritise via first principles of dam breach) - Completed

2. Comprehensive consequence assessment (a detailed assessment which uses hydraulic modelling to create inundation maps to detail the population at risk and severity of damage and loss) – 18 Completed

3. Risk assessment (uses failure modes and likelihood to determine where the retarding basin sits within the standard risk profile and what can be done to reduce it) – 5 completed

4. Upgrades – 1 Basin at functional requirements All the above steps have led to developing a strategy which has a robust methodology to identify and prioritise upgrade works. Following the finalisation of the retarding basin risk assessment of 5 basins Melbourne Water began a risk assessment on a selected few of the levee banks at the beginning of 2011. The results of this assessment will feed into the Levee Bank Risk Management and Upgrade Strategy. Currently Melbourne Water has commenced writing the two strategies (Retarding Basins and Levee Banks) to provide a direction to manage the business risk that these assets present. c) Waterways management, including the nature and extent of vegetation clearing activities within waterways and their general maintenance Melbourne Water undertakes proactive works to manage river health, such as vegetation establishment and weed control works, fish barrier removal works, and fencing of waterways. Although some of these works have the potential to have impacts on the hydraulic capacity of the waterways, in particular the vegetation establishment and weed control works, Melbourne Water actively considers this when planning on-ground works. At a strategic level, we consider the requirements of each waterway for their hydraulic conveyance needs when planning actions for the Healthy Waterways Strategy in Melbourne Water’s Water Plan 3, which will cover the years 2013 to 2018 inclusive. Any areas where vegetation works are proposed in Water Plan 3 will be assessed for potential impacts on hydraulic capacity before projects are planned and if necessary, proposed works will be redirected or re-scoped to ensure hydraulic capacity is not compromised. Internal liaison occurs at a project-level when individual projects are being planned and scoped to ensure that planned works would not have an adverse effect on the capacity of those waterways to convey flow or pose other risks. Projects are either re-scoped or not proceeded with if it is believed they would pose a risk. Over the three financial years of 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10, Melbourne Water has undertaken extensive maintenance works on its waterways assets. Average amount spent for each of the three years is $22.6 million8; with costs ramping up as additional works are identified especially in the expanded region (refer Figure 1). Costs for 2009/10 alone were $31.9 million and this is expected to be equalled or exceeded in the remainder of the current Water Plan period covering years 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13. Breadth of works undertaken include: vegetation management, grass management (Melbourne Water is a major land owner in the region, for example: drainage reserves, retarding basins, wetlands), debris and litter removal, desilting and dredging, bank stabilisation, fencing, maintenance of access roads and bushfire protection and support.

8 Includes some relatively minor expenditure on CCTV inspection of drains

d) Identifying those entities and individuals having ownership of waterways and the responsibility for their clearing and their maintenance In the Port Phillip and Westernport region, Melbourne Water, as the waterway manager under the Water Act 1989, has responsibility for managing all waterways as defined under the Water Act, which includes their clearing and maintenance. There are a small number of reaches of waterways in the Port of Melbourne area that have been specifically excluded from Melbourne Water’s waterway management district under Section 188A(1) of the Water Act. There is therefore no waterway manager for these reaches of waterways. This exclusion from Melbourne Water’s waterway management district has no impact on Melbourne Water’s responsibility as the floodplain manager for the entire Port Phillip and Westernport region. Similar to the Catchment Management Authorities in the rest of Victoria, Melbourne Water does not own the waterways in its region, as the waterways (bed and banks) are crown land vested in the Department of Sustainability and Environment. Melbourne Water is, however, a major landowner in the region. Melbourne Water owns land required for drainage reserves in built-up areas, retarding basins, wetlands, levees and etc. e) The extent to which, if any, local knowledge of residents is employed in effecting waterways clearing and maintenance Melbourne Water consults extensively via a number of mechanisms, including public forums, advisory committees, targeted workshops, faced to face discussions, by phone, email and by letter. Local knowledge is gleaned during the preparation of strategies, including:

• Healthy Waterways Strategy (latest version in preparation) • Flood Management and Drainage Strategy • Water Quality Strategy • Better Bays and Waterways Plan (a water quality improvement plan for the Port

Phillip and Westernport region and bays) • Urban Development strategies • Land Development Manual.

These Strategies and Plans determine priorities for works and maintenance and provide a conduit for residents and stakeholders to have their say. They provide necessary background detail required for seeking funding through the Essential Services Commission. Melbourne Water also has a number of local advisory committees for its special precept areas which provide direct input to works and maintenance, including the responsibility for setting priorities and costs which have a direct impact on the fees these residents pay to Melbourne Water. Local advisory committees include:

• Koo Wee Rup and Longwarry flood protection district Advisory Committee • Patterson Lakes Advisory Committee.

Melbourne Water has also set up a general advisory committee, the ‘Waterways Advisory Committee’, which comprises representatives from the community and stakeholders. The main function of this committee is to advise Melbourne Water on the preparation of the Waterways Operating Charter.

The Waterways Operating Charter is Melbourne Water’s commitment to our stakeholders and the community. It describes actions designed to improve the health, quality, amenity and understanding of our waterways, to manage environmental flow and water quality, provide an appropriate level of flood protection for communities, support sustainable development, and involve and engage the community. The Charter sets out long-term aims, 10-year goals, and specific targets and measures for the Melbourne Water Water Plan period 2008/09 to 2012/13. The Operating Charter is independently audited each year to assess success in achieving targets. Part of the role of the Committee is to review the annual Operating Charter audit and provide feedback to the Melbourne Water Board. A soft copy of the current Charter is attached to this submission. The Operating Charter for the period 2013/14 to 2017/18 is currently under preparation. Melbourne Water has engaged VICSES to assist in educating the public on flood related issues and on what to expect in case of flooding. Melbourne Water river health and maintenance staff engage directly with the local community on local projects to ensure local issues and conditions are understood. Melbourne Water also provides general enquiry phone lines that handle issues and pass them on in most cases directly to field staff for follow up and action. Case Study of conflicting policy or when is a drain a waterway The following is a case study illustrating the complex nature of waterway and floodplain management made even more difficult by conflicting state and federal government policies. Bunyip Main Drain Environmental obligations versus flood mitigation While the Bunyip Main Drain (BMD) was constructed over 100 years ago with the express purpose of draining the Koo Wee Rup Swamp to enable settlement, cropping and development, the drain has come to serve two essential (and opposing) functions over time. The approach to maintenance over the past 20 – 30 years has resulted in the drain establishing some natural habitat and therefore has come to look less like an engineered drainage channel and more like a natural waterway environment. As a result of this vegetation overgrowth and continual clearing and development of land in the area, the vegetation growing linearly along the Bunyip Main Drain is providing some of the last contiguous vegetation cover for EPBC-listed species, particularly the Southern Brown Bandicoot. As such, the BMD is actually serving several populations of the Southern Brown Bandicoot as an essential bit of habitat corridor linking habitat areas home to known populations of the bandicoot throughout the region. In consultation with the Commonwealth Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC) regarding the pending works in two sections of the BMD, it has emerged that both DSEWPaC and DSE view the Bunyip Main Drain as one of the most significant linking corridors for the bandicoot in Victoria. This means that there is an expectation that there would be significant revegetation of the BMD once works are completed to re-establish the corridor for the bandicoots. However, as the BMD is actually a drain which has an increasingly important role in protecting the critical human interests for an growing developed area in the region, it is essential that the drain’s fundamental design flood protection functions are not

compromised by vegetation which would increase the roughness coefficient of future flood flows through the drain. Essentially, it would be viewed as unacceptable to Melbourne Water (and the local community) to increase the flooding risks along the drain by revegetating a large section of the drain’s banks. Pending the results of flood modelling and system performance assessment resulting from the February 2011 floods some sections of the BMD may need a degree of vegetation removal to ensure the design flow capacities are achieved. The ability to achieve this outcome may be compromised by the environmental controls. Additionally, due to the extreme flood event of February 2011, there were significant landslips along the northern bank of the BMD in sections, and this has undermined the only sealed road linking the area for road traffic. This has resulted in a partial shut down of the road in this area, and further flooding may see the road completely washed out. As such, it is viewed by the local community as imperative that Melbourne Water conduct works to repair the BMD and reinstate this section of the road. As a result of the landslips concern is being raised about the extent of vegetation required by DSEWPaC on the embankments and the structural integrity risk this presents particularly where levees are being established and maintained. The vegetation has potential to compromise the ability to thoroughly inspect the levees for emerging slips and weak points. It is also being suggested that previously upgraded sections of the BMD drain immediately downstream of one of the proposed job sites which did remove significant amounts of vegetation may need further vegetation established to meet the environmental requirements. This is likely to compromise the design hydraulic performance of the BMD under Commonwealth EPBC legislation requirements.

Appendix 1 Recent Significant Rainfall Events within the Region 28 October to 5 November 2010 • A flood watch was issued by BoM on 28 October for Greater Melbourne catchments

(covers Werribee, Maribyrnong, Yarra, Dandenong and Bunyip) Rainfall forecasts up to 75mm were predicted

• Rainfall commenced on 29 October and continued until 1 November • Highest totals were from 9am 30 October to 9am 1 November of 115mm in Upper

Yarra catchment • Minor to moderate flood warnings issued for Yarra River catchment. Dandenong

Creek and Bunyip River catchments reached minor flood levels. • 26 flood warnings and 3 flood watches were released during this period • No reports of flood damage to Melbourne Water. 27 November to 1 December 2010 • Severe weather warning was issued by BoM on 24 November for many areas

including Greater Melbourne based on a slow moving low pressure trough positioned over central Victoria and likely to impact on the following Saturday

• Over three days in the western area around Macedon Ranges up to 145mm fell. Although not intense rainfall, 75 – 80mm fell on some gauges on 27 November and then again on 28 November. With already wet catchments from earlier rainfall high runoff was encountered.

• Minor to moderate flooding occurred on the Werribee catchment. Minor flooding also occurred in the Yarra and Maribyrnong catchments

• 26 flood warnings were issued • No reports of flood damage to Melbourne Water. 8 December to 12 December 2010 • Another low pressure trough passed across Melbourne on 8 December • Flood watches for Greater Melbourne were issued daily from 6 to 9 December • On 8 and 9 December heavy rainfall was recorded in the Upper Yarra catchment –

75mm falling at Mt Juliet and Maribyrnong River catchment – 60mm at several locations over the 48 hour period

• 5 flood warnings were issued • Minor flooding resulted on the Maribyrnong and Yarra River systems • No flood damage reported to Melbourne Water. 20 December 2010 • General rainfall event occurred over the period 20 to 21 December resulting in some

moderate rainfall totals in the Dandenong Creek and Bunyip River catchments • Rainfall totals over 48 hours were up to 90mm • 10 flood warnings were issued • No flood damage reported to Melbourne Water. 11 January to 14 January 2011 • A flood watch and severe weather warning were issued on 11 January for a broad

slow moving trough which was passing Victoria with very humid unstable weather associated

• Between 11 to 15 January high rainfall totals were recorded. Highest were Lancefield 233mm, Durdidwarrah – Stony Creek 225mm, and Mt Macedon 250mm

all in north west of region. Totals recorded in the Yarra, Dandenong and Westernport catchments were generally much lower.

• Minor to moderate flood warnings were issued for the Maribyrnong River catchment. Minor flood warnings were also issued for the Dandenong and Yarra catchments

• 22 flood warnings were issued • Only one building was affected above floor level, the Anglers Tavern on the banks of

the Maribyrnong River, where the lounge on the lower level is the first floor to be affected (ARI of around 1-in-5 year floods the lounge).

4 February to 5 February 2011 • A flood watch was issued on Thursday 3 February for a potential storm event with

100mm likely across metro Melbourne and up to 150mm in the ranges. Refer to Figure 3 for rainfall totals.

• On Friday 4 February at about 6pm a severe thunderstorm front crossed into Melbourne resulting in up to 180mm of rainfall. The two to four hour duration having the most intense volumes of up to 80mm. Some locations received up to 200mm over 14 hours.

• Rainfall Annual Exceedance Probabilities (AEPs) exceeded 1% with some significantly higher than this. Wide spread localized flooding was experienced in many part of Melbourne with extreme flash flooding affecting many areas.

• 30 flood warnings were issued across the Werribee, Yarra, Dandenong and Bunyip catchments.

• Dandenong Creek reached moderate flood levels, just below major • Yarra River reached moderate flood levels in the upper and middle parts of the

catchment • Bunyip River recorded its highest levels in 40 years and reached a major peak level

of 7.33m at the Iona gauge • A pilot Flash Flood Warning system in high-risk areas generated approximately 50

SMS warning messages. These messages were communicated to the Brushy Creek, Blackburn and Southern Link Upgrade pilot groups. These messages were well received by the residents participating in the pilot trials.

• Melbourne Water opened an incident room to manage the impacts of this event. A sustained recovery effort has been required by Melbourne Water to address the impacts of this storm event with large numbers of people involved in activities that included: • Asset condition inspection and assessment along with general clean-up of lower

priority issues such as damaged fences and fallen trees. This is a consequence of the wide spread nature of the storm event however all critical issues affecting safety were addressed as a matter of priority.

• A sustained effort was required in the Bangholme area around Springvale/Pillars/Soden Road area in order to drain the very low lying area. These efforts involved pumping flood water via 6 pumps for a three week period as well as clean out of many local drainage lines. This work was done in conjunction with the City of Greater Dandenong as much of the drainage problems were linked to local drainage system.

• Collection of field data on flood levels across the region with additional field surveyors being engaged to assist with this activity

• Responding to numerous issues raised by local MPs, Councils and residents that required investigation, meetings and site visits and response. Depending on the nature of the issue there has been a number of community information sessions run in conjunction with local government.

• Detailed investigations into locations that suffered the more severe impacts have been undertaken to enable an understanding of what happened, why it happened and if there are options to reduce the consequences of such events if they were to be repeated. Priority locations covered by such investigations include Bunyip Main Drain in Koo Wee Rup area, Gardiners Creek/Rix Street Drain in Glen Iris, Smythes Drain in Bangholme area, and Koornang Road Drain in Ormond.

• Planning and design for the rehabilitation work required along a 200 metre section of Bunyip Main Drain as a consequence of the bank slumping is continuing. Road closures in the area have been required as a consequence of the slip which is causing inconvenience for local commuters. A number of discussions have been held with Cardinia Shire Council regarding the project to ensure that as well as repairing the drain, the road is repaired and opened in timely manner. Due to the complexity of the project design and approval processes are likely to take until August before construction work can commence.

• At four locations along Gardiner’s Creek in Glen Iris, the bank has been eroded and undermined requiring urgent stabilisation. Up to 50 separate known erosion sites in this area are being monitored but are sufficiently stable not to require intervention at this stage.

24 hour rainfall totals within region for 5 February 2011

17

Fw: ENRC Inquiry into Flood Mitigation Infrastructure - Melbourne Water submission Caroline Williams to: karen.taylor, ivan.zwart 05/08/2011 09:19 AM Show Details

From: "Phillip Neville" [phillip.neville@melbournewater.com.au] Sent: 05/08/2011 08:14 AM ZE10 To: <enrc@parliament.vic.gov.au> Cc: "Peter Rankin" <peter.rankin@melbournewater.com.au> Subject: ENRC Inquiry into Flood Mitigation Infrastructure - Melbourne Water submission

Dear Dr Williams Attached for your consideration is Melbourne Water’s submission to assist the Committee’s inquiry following the 2010-2011 flood events. Regards Phillip Phillip Neville | Manager Floodplain Services, Waterways| Melbourne Water T: (03) 9235 2235| M: 0419 748 332| 100 Wellington Pde, East Melbourne, 3002 | PO Box 4342 Melbourne VIC 3001 | melbournewater.com.au Working together to ensure a sustainable water future.

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Page 1 of 1

9/08/2011file://C:\Temp\notes35D55D\~web1663.htm

WaterwaysMelbourne Water’s Operating Charter

for waterway management in the

Port Phillip & Westernport region

2008/09 to 2012/13

2

1 Foreword 4

2 Executive Summary 5

3 What is the Operating Charter 6

4 Waterways – the Past and the Present 8

5 The Port Phillip and Westernport Region 12and Challenges

6 Our Focus Over the Next Five Years 15

7 Our Focus Areas:

7.1 Community and Stakeholder 18Engagement and Involvement

7.2 Managing Waterways 24

7.3 Managing Environmental Flows 29

7.4 Managing Water Quality 33

7.5 Flood Management and Drainage 38

7.6 Managing Urban Growth 43

7.7 Monitoring, Investigations 48and Research

8 Evaluations, Reporting and Review 54

Appendix 55

Contents

3

Thanks go to the Waterways Advisory Committee members for their assistance in developing this Operating Charter:

Professor Barry Hart – Chair Director, Water Science

David Buntine CEO, Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority

Claude Cullino Director of City Development, Manningham City Council

Dr. Jane Doolan Executive Director, Department of Sustainability & Environment

Tim Fisher Manager, Water & Catchment Unit, EPA Victoria

Dr. Tim Fletcher Director, Institute of Sustainable Water Resources, Monash University

John Forrester President, Werribee Riverkeepers

Luisa MacMillan Manager, Merri Creek Management Committee

Patrick O’Callaghan Manager, Conservation Programs, Parks Victoria

Graham Osborne Member Pakenham, Victorian Farmers Federation

Dr. Paul Sinclair Director, Healthy Rivers Campaign, Environment Victoria

Adrian VlokUrban Development Institute of Australia

4

Who we are, what we doMelbourne Water manages Melbourne’s water supply catchments, removes and treats most of Melbourne’s sewage, and manages rivers and creeks and major drainage systems throughout the Port Phillip and Westernport region.

Owned by the Victorian Government, Melbourne Water has an independent Board of Directors responsible for governance and the responsible Minister is the Minister for Water. We are a signifi cant business, managing approximately $8 billion in water supply, sewerage and drainage assets. We manage our assets to protect and improve their environmental, social and economic values.

From cascading streams high in the forested mountains and rural areas to urban creeks and wetlands and our major rivers and estuaries, waterways are the lifeblood of our landscape and our community.The Waterways Operating Charter is Melbourne Water’s commitment to our stakeholders and the community. It describes actions designed to improve the health, quality, amenity and understanding of our waterways, to manage environmental fl ow and water quality, provide an appropriate level of fl ood protection for communities, support sustainable development, and involve and engage the community.

The Charter sets out long-term aims, 10-year goals, and specifi c targets and measures for 2008-2013.

The Operating Charter is centred on our continuing efforts to improve the environmental, social and economic values of our waterways and to enhance community connection to waterways.

The importance of this Operating Charter and its detailed commitment to long-term management of our waterways is underscored by a number of pressures, including the continuing drought, potential climate change impacts, and expectations for future growth throughout the Port Phillip and Westernport region.

In this context, long-term planning is critical to ensure that our waterways remain healthy, vital, and continue to contribute to our sense of community wellbeing.

We look forward to working closely with our key stakeholders and the community to effectively carry out our waterways, drainage and fl oodplain management responsibilities in the Port Phillip and Westernport region now and into the future.

Rob SkinnerManaging Director, Melbourne Water

Chris Chesterfi eldGeneral Manager Waterways, Melbourne Water

Watts Falls at Maroondah Reservoir.

1 Foreword

5

The Waterways Operating Charter is Melbourne Water’s commitment with our stakeholders and the community for the management of waterways, drainage and fl oodplains. The Charter outlines programs to improve the health, water quality, amenity and understanding of our waterways, to manage environmental fl ows and urban development, provide an appropriate level of fl ood protection for communities, and involve and engage with stakeholders and the community.

Our waterways and fl oodplains are highly valued by our communities attracting millions of visits each year and supporting more than 1,800 species of native plants and 600 species of native animals.

The condition of our waterways and fl oodplains are a refl ection of the behaviour and activities of people and businesses living and working around them. Water quality has improved signifi cantly since the 1970s and remained relatively stable for the last ten years despite increased pressure from continued urban growth. Still more needs to be done to manage the many challenges we face.

Continued urbanisation requires us to try and balance the protection of environmental values and waterway health, while providing an acceptable level of fl ood protection for development.

Climate change appears to be altering rainfall patterns, reducing streamfl ow levels, creating more intense storms and associated fl ash fl ooding. Whilst we have experienced a number of years of drought, we still need to plan and prepare for fl ood. We aim to meet multiple, and sometimes confl icting, needs in the work we do including dealing with the competing interests of water resources for the environment, urban and agricultural use.

We also need to improve our knowledge base to better understand and respond to expectations of the diverse range of stakeholders and communities in the Port Phillip and Westernport region.

To respond to these challenges, the Operating Charter sets out Melbourne Water’s responsibilities, long-term aims and 10-year goals for the management of waterways, fl oodplains and regional drainage. It also defi nes the works and services required to achieve the Charter’s 10-year goals.

For community and stakeholder engagement and involvement, the long-term aim is to build trust and strengthen working relationships with key stakeholders and the community.

For managing waterways, the long-term aim is to ensure Melbourne’s rivers and creeks are healthy, with increased numbers of native fi sh, platypus and plant life.

For managing environmental fl ows, the long-term aim is to ensure suffi cient environmental fl ows to support river health and protect benefi cial uses of the waterways.

For managing water quality, the long-term aim is to collaborate with others to achieve objectives for water quality in accordance with State environmental protection policies and targets set out in the Regional River Health Strategy and Waterways Water Quality Strategy.

For fl ood and drainage management, the long-term aim is to minimise all currently known intolerable fl ooding risks to public health and safety, property and infrastructure and increase community understanding and preparedness for fl oods.

For managing urban growth, the long-term aims are to ensure urban development achieves appropriate standards of fl ood protection, protects waterway health and is sensitive to other environmental and social values, and deliver an effi cient service and provide accurate, timely and reliable information to the development industry and community.

For monitoring, investigations and research, the long-term aim is to build a comprehensive knowledge base to improve decision making and evaluation of progress.

To carry out our programs and meet the goals and targets outlined in this Operating Charter, there will be an increased focus on working with stakeholders and showing leadership in the management of waterways from source to sea. We will deliver tangible results with on-ground works, improve our understanding and management of fl ood risks, and expand and strengthen our knowledge base.

This Operating Charter responds to the many challenges we face with the clear recognition that best results are achieved when agencies, industry, councils and the community work together.

2 Executive Summary

Deep Creek, Daraweit Guim.

6

3. What is the Operating Charter?

Photograph above: Yarra River at Southbank.

7

The Victorian Government in its Our Water Our Future action plan designated Melbourne Water as caretaker of river health with responsibility for waterways, drainage and fl oodplain management, the management of the Environmental Water Reserve, and water quality monitoring throughout the Port Phillip and Westernport region. These roles are managed through the Waterways Group, which works closely with other key groups in Melbourne Water responsible for water supply, sewerage, research and community engagement.

The Waterways Operating Charter outlines Melbourne Water’s responsibilities and overall goals for the management of waterways, fl oodplains and regional drainage in the Port Phillip and Westernport region over the next fi ve years (2008 to 2013). It sets out how we will work with Government agencies, community, local councils, rural landholders, developers and other stakeholders to achieve these goals.

The Operating Charter sets out long-term aims, 10-year goals, and fi ve-year targets, which are independently audited each year. The long-term aims remain relatively fi xed, while the ten-year goals may be adjusted as fi ve-year targets are achieved or new information and knowledge emerges.

The Essential Services Commission regulates Melbourne Water, including the prices we charge for our waterways and drainage services and endorsing service commitments. The Operating Charter supports pricing submissions to the Essential Services Commission.

The Operating Charter is required by Government under our Statement of Obligations and is independently audited and reported each year to ensure Melbourne Water meets its obligations to our stakeholders and the community.

How was the Operating Charter developed?The fi rst Operating Charter was prepared in 1999. Since then, there have been three updates to the Operating Charter. This current version has been developed in close consultation with the Waterways Advisory Committee.

The Operating Charter is also consistent with the Government’s Our Water Our Future action plan. It draws priority actions, programs and targets from the range of State, regional and Melbourne Water strategies. These strategies have included extensive stakeholder consultation and additional views were gathered and incorporated through regional stakeholder and community events.

State strategies include State environment protection policies, the Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy and the Yarra River Action Plan. Regional strategies include the Port Phillip and Westernport Regional Catchment Strategy and the Port Phillip and Westernport Regional River Health Strategy.

The Operating Charter also integrates the goals and targets of Melbourne Water’s internal strategies including the Waterways Water Quality Strategy, Flood Management and Drainage Strategy, Waterways Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Framework, Development Planning Strategy and Cultural Heritage Strategy. These strategies have all been developed with targeted stakeholders and the Waterways Advisory Committee.

In developing this Operating Charter, we took into account:

• our experiences in implementing, monitoring and reporting commitments in previous Operating Charters

• evaluation of previous work programs

• changes in the policy framework and strategic directions

• community attitudes and expectations identifi ed through market research and other community engagement activities.

What is the Waterways Advisory Committee? In 2002, the fi rst Waterways and Drainage Advisory Committee was established to update and revise the Waterways Operating Charter. In 2006, the newly named Waterways Advisory Committee was re-formed to better refl ect the diversity of stakeholders and community groups that we work with.

This Operating Charter has been developed in close involvement with the Committee, which:

• reviews and provides advice on Melbourne Water’s waterway, drainage and fl oodplain management services

• reviews relevant operating policies, management strategies and other issues relevant to effi cient and effective delivery of services

• advises Melbourne Water where required on the content of the Operating Charter.

The Operating Charter is independently audited each year to assess success in achieving targets. Part of the role of the Committee is to review the annual Operating Charter audit and provide feedback to the Melbourne Water Board.

What is in this documentThis Operating Charter is divided into the following key sections:

• Community and stakeholder engagement and involvement

• Managing waterways

• Managing environmental fl ows

• Managing water quality

• Flood and drainage management

• Managing urban growth

• Monitoring, investigations and research.

In each of these sections, information is provided under the following headings:

• Our responsibilities – outlines our role and statutory responsibilities

• Setting our priorities – explains how work programs are developed and prioritised

• Current status – describes the current condition or situation

• Aims and goals – describes our long-term aims

• Programs – describes each program and works to be undertaken. Includes fi ve-year performance targets to show progress towards long-term goals.

8

4. Waterways – the Past and the Present

Photograph above: Meeting place:

A confluence of creeks in the upper Yarra

(photograph courtesy of Museum Victoria).

9

From the time of European settlement until the 1970s, waterways were managed with a strong engineering focus on fl ooding and providing drainage services in urban and fl ood-prone areas. Waterway and stormwater management was about capturing and conveying urban run-off to local rivers and creeks or the bays. Often the lack of planning controls over urban development meant no provision was made for overland fl ows, increasing the risk of fl ooding. In many urban areas, this approach did not give priority to environmental values of waterways or environmental fl ows, or the principles of integrated catchment management. The new environmental awareness that emerged in Melbourne’s communities during the 1970s led to greater concern about the state of urban waterways and greater recognition of their contribution to open space and amenity.

The creation of EPA Victoria, diversion of all industrial waste to sewers, and extension of the sewerage system to unsewered areas delivered signifi cant improvements to water quality.

As water quality in our rivers and creeks has improved and access opened up with new trail networks, there has been an increased demand for improving river health. The water industry has undergone signifi cant changes in thinking about water quality and catchment management as a result.

Melbourne Water has responded by developing a more holistic approach to managing waterways and considerably increasing expenditure on weed control, revegetation and habitat improvement to enhance environmental and social values of waterways.

Over the last 10 years, improved management of urban stormwater has become a priority. New environmental standards have been developed and ‘drainage’ engineering has moved from conveyance and disposal to water sensitive urban design.

The Victorian River Health Strategy brought about the adoption of a risk-based approach and supported a focus on protecting rivers in good condition (as opposed to poor condition) and investment priority based on the highest environmental gain and community commitment for resources invested. Recently, the Victorian Government also established an Environmental Water Reserve for a number of rivers and creeks as recognition of the environment’s own entitlement to water.

A number of other recent strategies have laid the foundations for the way we manage waterways, drainage and fl oodplains for today and the future.

Our role as caretaker of river healthAs caretaker of river health, we strive to:

• manage our rivers, creeks and drainage systems to improve waterway health and the wellbeing of the community

• provide a safe level of fl ood protection for communities

• show leadership and work collaboratively with stakeholders and the community

• provide opportunities for community involvement to strengthen connections with waterways and encourage contribution to river and creek health

• make long-term decisions based on the best available science by undertaking or supporting collaborative research and an extensive monitoring and investigations program

• take an integrated and sustainable approach to our work by balancing social, economic and environmental outcomes

• evaluate our performance in a transparent manner that promotes our achievements and identifi es areas for improvement.

Our role as caretaker of river health will continue to change and evolve to refl ect increased knowledge of waterways and drainage infrastructure, changing community expectations, the capacity of our stakeholders and environmental issues such as climate change and drought.

Melbourne Water’s sustainability principlesMelbourne Water has developed sustainability principles to guide the way we work.

Our commitment to sustainability will be demonstrated by:

• protecting and conserving Melbourne’s water resources

• protecting and improving the environment, including biodiversity

• our leadership, scientifi c research, creativity and innovation

• ensuring responsible risk management

• sharing information and fostering collaborative working relationships

• maintaining long-term fi nancial viability

• contributing to the health of the community

• demonstrating corporate social responsibility

• ensuring intergenerational equity by considering short-term and long-term implications in all decision making

• providing an environment where employees are encouraged to achieve their full potential.

These principles guide decision making processes and are evident in all Melbourne Water decisions and actions.

10

4 Waterways – the Past and the Present

Who manages our waterways?A number of Government agencies, organisations and community groups contribute to the management of waterways, drainage and fl oodplains. The diagram below shows the areas of responsibility of each of the agencies, organisations and community groups:

Stormwater management –

EPA Victoria, councils, industry and Melbourne Water work in partnership to improve the environmental management of stormwater and incorporate water sensitive urban design.

Managing impacts of agriculture – the Department of Primary Industries provides information and advice on improving agricultural practices to minimise impacts on river health. The Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority co-ordinate catchment management. Melbourne Water works in partnership with these agencies and landowners to encourage better land management practices to improve river health.

Regulating works on waterways – all works on waterways require approval from Melbourne Water to protect river health, the values of rivers and creeks and public safety.

Diversions and farm dams – Melbourne Water manages river diversions and farm dams in the Yarra catchment, and lower sections of the Maribyrnong, Skeleton, Stony, Laverton, Kororoit catchments. Southern Rural Water performs this role for surface and ground water in the rest of the region.

Cleaning up pollution spills – Melbourne Water cleans up pollution spills in consultation with, or under direction from, EPA Victoria (which is responsible for responding to pollution and providing a pollution ‘hotline’ service).

Managing river health – Melbourne Water is caretaker of river health in the Port Phillip and Westernport region – we manage rivers, creeks, estuaries, wetlands and fl oodplains, provide fl ood and drainage management, and monitor river health and undertakecommunity involvement programs.

Managing development – Melbourne Water is a statutory referral authority and prepares long-term strategies and schemes to ensure all new urban development meets fl ood and environmental protection standards.

Managing recreational

activities – Parks Victoria manages recreational activities in Port Phillip Bay, Western Port and the Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers.

11

Statewide responsibilities

Environmental protection – EPA Victoria develops environmental protection objectives, regulates discharges and develops policy.

Statewide strategic planning – the Department of Sustainability and Environment develops Statewide overarching policy frameworks for river health and natural resource management.

Managing the port – Port of Melbourne Corporation manages land and water around the mouth of the Yarra, and shipping channels and fairways in Port Phillip Bay.

Streamside vegetation – rehabilitation work is carried out by community groups and rural landowners, often working in partnership with Melbourne Water and the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority. Melbourne Water also rehabilitates waterways.

Maintaining drains – councils are responsible for managing drainage systems servicing areas of generally less than 60 hectares; Melbourne Water is responsible for managing drainage systems servicing areas generally greater than 60 hectares.

Managing fl ooding – Melbourne Water is the Floodplain Management Authority for the Port Phillip and Westernport region. We map areas at risk of fl ooding and provide fl ood warning advice.

Regional responsibilities

Natural resources and catchment management – the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority (CMA) sets the framework for co-ordination of natural resources in the region.

12 Photograph above: Werribee River

5. The Port Phillip and Westernport Region and Challenges

13

Melbourne Water’s operating area encompasses the entire Port Phillip and Westernport catchment region, and aligns with the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority’s operating boundary. The 12,800 square kilometre region covers the entire Werribee, Maribyrnong, Yarra, Dandenong and Westernport catchments. It extends from high up in the Yarra Ranges, across to Ballan in the west, and from the Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island to Lancefi eld in the north.

The water resources of the region support a population of 3.8 million people as well as agriculture and other industry.

Land use The catchment ranges from heavily modifi ed urban and industrial areas in the lower catchments, extensive farming activities and rural communities, and forested regions on the region’s fringes. Annual gross value of agricultural production exceeds $1 billion, from industries such as horticulture, dairying, and viticulture.

About 23% of the region is urbanised. Extensive clearing for agriculture and urban and industrial development has resulted in signifi cant loss of environmental values, with waterways providing important areas of remnant native vegetation and valuable urban community open space.

Environmental values There are approximately 8,000 kilometres of rivers and creeks in the region. The wide variety of landforms and ecosystems support more than 1,800 species of native plants and 600 species of native animals.

Some 25% of the rivers and creeks in the region are classed as being in excellent and good condition, with 31% in moderate condition and 44% in poor to very poor condition, (based on the Index of River Condition – see page 25).

River health is excellent in the upper forested areas, but agricultural activities and urbanisation have a signifi cant detrimental effect on water quality and overall river health. Water quality has improved considerably since the 1970s and has generally remained constant over the last 10 years.

The region is fortunate to have protected forested water supply catchments to the north and east. These are managed by Melbourne Water. The O’Shannassy catchment is classed as an ‘Essentially Natural Catchment’, while the Lerderderg River and the upper reaches of the Yarra River are both classifi ed as ‘Heritage Rivers’. Melbourne Water manages more than 900 wetlands, of which many have high biodiversity values and three are internationally listed under the Ramsar Convention – the Edithvale Seaford wetlands, Western Port and Port Phillip Bay (western shoreline).

Social values The region is home to a diverse range of people, of whom many actively work to improve rivers and creeks. Over 550 volunteer community groups undertake activities related to catchment and river and creek health. This commitment and contribution is highly valued and our ability to engage these groups and other parts of the wider community are critical to our success.

The urban rivers and creeks in the region are important areas for recreation and a major contributor to community wellbeing and Melbourne’s ‘liveability’. Over 100 million visits each year are made to waterways. One in three Melburnians live within one kilometre of a river or creek. The region also contains eight National Parks, six State Parks, eight Marine Protected Areas and many regional, metropolitan and local parks and conservation reserves. The Yarra River is the focus of many community events and celebrations, including the three-day Moomba festival, which attracts more than 200,000 people per day each year.

Rivers and creeks continue be a vital part of regional Aboriginal culture. Prior to European settlement, the region’s waterways provided resources, meeting places, transport routes and places of spiritual and community activity. Today the waterways and Aboriginal way of life are very different, yet the rivers and creeks of the region remain an important part of community identity. A range of European and Aboriginal heritage values exist in the region’s waterways, including Dights Falls on the Yarra and the Edithvale Seaford wetlands on the Mornington Peninsula.

Figure 1: Melbourne Water’s Operating Area

14

5 The Port Phillip and Westernport Region and Challenges

Challenges for management

Urban development

The population of the region is expected to increase by more than 800,000 people by 2030, with most of the increase occurring in Melbourne’s existing urban areas. The challenge for Melbourne Water will be to fi nd a balance between protecting existing environmental values and waterway health, while providing an acceptable level of fl ood protection and development of new and existing urban areas.

Urban expansion also has the potential to affect river water quality, with the downstream effects concentrated in the estuaries and bays. There will be further pressures on water resources and environmental fl ows to meet increasing urban demands for water.

Climate change

Melbourne Water and CSIRO research has identifi ed likely climate change trends including increased average and summer temperatures, reduced rainfall, reduced stream fl ows, and more extreme events with more hot days, more dry days and increased rainfall intensity during storm events. This will make attainment of river health and fl ood protection objectives more challenging.

Intense storms, with sudden, heavy and localised rainfall, may cause sewer overfl ows into waterways, or more frequent overland fl oods in some urban areas. Constant stress on our waterways and changes in the base fl ows in rivers and creeks due to reductions in overall rainfall and stream fl ow levels is likely to reduce the environmental health of our waterways.

Managing fl ood risks

More than 100,000 properties in the region have been identifi ed as at risk from fl ooding in a 1-in-100-year storm. Some 20,000 of these are affected by riverine fl ooding, and the remaining properties, many in older urban areas, are at risk of overland fl ooding which occurs when high intensity rain events overwhelm the constructed drainage system and excess stormwater travels overland to the nearest waterway.

With a forecast increase of over 500,000 new households between now and 2030, and possible climate changes associated with global warming, the region faces signifi cant fl ood and drainage management challenges.

Knowledge gaps

We have a comprehensive monitoring, investigations and research program and hence a solid knowledge base to inform decision making. However, there will always be knowledge gaps and uncertainty. For example, there is uncertainty regarding climate change and its implications for managing waterways, drainage and fl oodplains.

It is essential that we continue our programs in the face of uncertainty, adopt a philosophy of learning as we implement our programs, and ensure we fi ll key gaps.

Managing competing interests

In implementing our programs, we aim to meet multiple and sometimes confl icting needs. For example, it is a challenge to balance competing interests between securing healthy river fl ows as manager of the Environmental Water Reserve, and securing water supply for Melbourne.

Another challenge we face is servicing urban development whilst trying to protect and improve water quality. Our commitment to ensuring opportunities for stakeholders and the community to be involved in decision making poses another challenge in ensuring decision making is effi cient and timely.

Working with our stakeholders and the community

The Port Phillip and Westernport region is home to 3.8 million people and is composed of a diverse range of communities and stakeholders. Working in partnership with stakeholders and the community underpins all our work. Understanding and responding to expectations of such a diverse range of communities poses a challenge, as does ensuring there are a range of techniques to work together to ensure we achieve the best results from our programs.

Platypus are an indicator of the

health of rivers. Surveys conducted

by Australian Platypus Conservancy

biologist Geoff Williams, show that

“Platypus are occurring in larger

numbers along the Yarra in

Melbourne’s middle suburbs…

with sightings in Fairfield and Kew.”

15

6. Our Focus Over the Next Five Years

Photograph above: Plenty River’s headwaters in the

forested hills north of Melbourne.

16

6 Our Focus Over the Next Five Years

Delivering integrated services Integration of our activities is critical to effective management of waterways, drainage systems and fl oodplains. Our projects and programs need to link to each other to meet stakeholder and Melbourne Water priorities and deliver ‘multiple benefi ts’ for the environment and community wellbeing.

This is achieved by establishing shared visions and goals (within and between Melbourne Water, communities and stakeholders), through open and transparent communication, and a commitment to working together to meet multiple needs.

We must also ensure that our services and programs respond to:

• Government policy

• regulation and legislation

• community and stakeholder expectations

• industry trends and environmental factors (such as drought).

A range of State and regional strategies (outlined in section 3) guide the delivery of integrated waterway services. Case studies throughout this Operating Charter demonstrate how we work in an integrated way to achieve improvements to the environment and community wellbeing.

Figure 2: Our integration model

Key directionsAn integrated approach to waterway, drainage and fl oodplain management requires a focus on the complex links between human activities within a catchment, climate, water quality, river health and community wellbeing.

To carry out the programs and meet the goals and targets outlined in this Operating Charter, there will be an increased focus on:

Working together with stakeholders to build our knowledge and skills for better river health and community outcomes

We value the importance of local knowledge and understanding community priorities in helping devise our long-term programs. We will support and share resources with others, such as community groups, councils, rural landholders, Government agencies and developers so we can all achieve our common goals for improved river health, drainage and fl oodplain management, and community well-being.

We will continue to work with the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority to collaboratively deliver improved community engagement, river, fl oodplain and drainage management services, and we value the Catchment Management Authority’s integrated catchment management role.

Showing leadership and advocacy

We will show strong leadership and advocacy in the management of rivers from source to sea in a way that recognises the impact of catchment activities, such as rural land management, on river health. We will support the development of a policy and regulatory framework that leads to improved management of waterways and catchments.

We will make particular efforts to provide leadership in the management of environmental fl ows, fl ood risk and stormwater, and in community engagements, and adoption of water sensitive urban design.

Delivery and on-ground outcomes

We have set ambitious but achievable targets and we will strive to effectively and effi ciently achieve these outcomes.

Ensuring we are in a position to manage future challenges

We will adapt and embrace future challenges that will affect our region, such as mitigating the impacts of urban development and responding appropriately to environmental challenges such as climate change and drought.

Managing fl ooding risks and improving our understanding

We will change the way we respond to and manage fl ood risk. We will work to reach agreements with stakeholders and the community on the way we do this and work to improve the community’s understanding of the impacts of fl ooding and preparedness for these natural events.

Strengthening our knowledge base

We will undertake monitoring, investigations and research to inform our decision making and improve our knowledge of areas including estuaries and the potential impacts of climate change on river health and fl ood risk. We will develop our people, building our own and stakeholder capacity, and increase connectedness to our waterways.

Managing

Environmental

Flows

Managing

Urban

Growth

Flood

Management

and Drainage

Managing

Water

Quality

Managing

Waterways

Monitoring,

Investigations

& Research

Gov

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Co

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unity and stakeholder expectations Industry tre

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nviro

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tal f

acto

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Regulation and Legislation

Com

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ity and Stakeholder Engagement and Involvem

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17

Long-term aimsThe long-term aims for the management of waterways, fl oodplains and drainage are:

• To build trust and strengthen working relationships with key stakeholders and the community

• To ensure that Melbourne’s rivers and creeks are healthy, with increased numbers of native fi sh, platypus and plant life

• To ensure waterways are managed to ensure suffi cient environmental fl ows to support river health and protect benefi cial uses

• In collaboration with others, to achieve objectives for water quality in accordance with State environmental protection policies and targets set out in the Regional River Health Strategy

• To minimise all currently known intolerable fl ooding risks to public health and safety, property and infrastructure and increase community understanding and preparedness for fl oods

• To ensure urban development achieves appropriate standards of fl ood protection, protects waterway health and is sensitive to other environmental and social values of waterways

• To deliver an effi cient service and provide accurate, timely and reliable information to the development industry and community

• To build a comprehensive knowledge base to improve decision making and evaluation of progress.

Funding to achieve our aims and goalsOur ambitious, but achievable, targets require signifi cant commitment and resources. The fi gure below shows capital and operating expenditure allocated to each of the main work areas in this Operating Charter over the next fi ve years.

Figure 3: Capital and Operating Expenditure

2008/09 to 2012/13 ($ millions)

* includes funding for monitoring, investigations and research projects (under Monitoring, Investigations and Research section).

** includes funding for monitoring, investigations and research projects and some waterways community projects such as stream frontage management grants.

The next sections of the document outline how these resources will be allocated, and the works programs that will be undertaken to meet our overall goals.

Community & stakeholder $13.7M

Managing waterway improvements $181M**

Managing environmental flows $8.3M

Managing water quality $90M*

Flood & drainage management $188M*

Managing urban growth $398M

Students from Blackburn Primary School at

the Amphibian Research Centre in Werribee

looking at frogs.

18

7.1 Community and Stakeholder Engagement and Involvement

Photograph above: students at the

Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands.

19

Community and stakeholder engagement is a key part of Melbourne Water’s business and decision making process. Through working in partnership with others, we can achieve our shared goals for managing waterways, drainage and fl oodplains.

Engaging community groups, councils, rural landholders, Government agencies, developers and other key stakeholders adds to our knowledge, helps us understand and meet expectations, and improves our delivery of on-ground works. We will build on existing programs and adopt new ways to engage and involve the community and other stakeholders.

Aims and goals

Long-term aim

To build trust and strengthen working relationships with key stakeholders and the community.

10-year goal

To achieve a high level of community and stakeholder understanding and active participation in programs related to the health of the region’s rivers, water quality and fl ooding.

Our responsibilitiesMelbourne Water is the caretaker of river health on behalf of communities that live and work in the Port Phillip and Westernport region and a wide range of stakeholders.

It is our responsibility to:

• understand community and stakeholder expectations

• provide opportunity for communities and stakeholders to infl uence priorities and programs

• be open and accountable to communities and stakeholders for services and performance

• involve and engage communities and stakeholders in our programs.

We are also responsible for community and stakeholder priorities ascribed to Melbourne Water in a range of policies and strategies, such as the Regional River Health Strategy, Yarra River Action Plan, Waterways Water Quality Strategy and Flood Management and Drainage Strategy.

Our engagement programs help Melbourne Water meet objectives and determine priorities for waterways, drainage and fl oodplain management by improving our understanding of stakeholder needs, social expectations and changing community attitudes and behaviours.

Setting our priorities Our priorities for community and stakeholder engagement and involvement are directed by the Waterways Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Framework. This Framework unites all associated engagement and communications initiatives for waterways, drainage and fl oodplain management. It identifi es priority initiatives, and provides a co-ordinated program for delivery.

Priorities in the Framework are based on existing commitments and priorities assigned to Melbourne Water in the range of strategies and plans outlined above. These strategies and plans have been developed in consultation with Government, councils and community, and infl uenced by market research and feedback from community events and surveys.

Our Framework guides programs to ensure we are on track to achieve our 10-year goal of high levels of community and stakeholder understanding and active participation in programs related to the health of the region’s rivers, water quality and fl ooding.

Current status Over the years, Melbourne Water has worked on many partnership projects and programs with a wide range of stakeholders and communities. The groups we work with are summarised in Table 1 on page 20.

Melbourne Water has established a number of partnerships and programs that inform and help us to meet our goals and deliver river health and water quality programs.

Over a 10 year period, we have undertaken detailed research to seek community views on rivers and creeks.

Since 1996, Melbourne Water has provided grants to help private land owners improve and protect waterways under the Steam Frontage Management Program. Melbourne Water also runs the Community Grants Program in partnership with the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority to provide annual funding to assist volunteer groups and public land managers to improve and protect waterways.

We support a range of education programs for schools and community groups such as the Port Phillip and Westernport Waterwatch and Frog Census programs. In 2005/06, Waterwatch involved more than 40,000 people, conducted over 800 activities and monitored more than 300 sites.

Melbourne Water has expanded its partnership programs to include the development industry through innovative programs such as GreenBuilders. We also support major events, such as the Yarra River Youth Conference, and place an increased focus on understanding community perceptions and needs, in particular the ‘Making Connections’ community networking events (see case study on page 22).

We are creating new opportunities for engagement in fl oodplain and drainage management. We need to improve our understanding of fl ooding impacts on communities, and better address cultural heritage in our day to day work. We will build on current programs and address our community’s request for a more open relationship with Melbourne Water and adopt new ways to engage and involve the community and other stakeholders.

20

Table 1: Waterways stakeholders

Community People who directly or indirectly pay for services provided, and benefi t from the outcomes of those services.

Users People who live near, or undertake recreational or business activities on, drainage reserves, rivers, creeks, estuaries wetland or fl oodplains. Such people include local residents, farmers and other rural landholders, agricultural business owners and water diverters.

Education Schools and universities that provide opportunities for people to learn about waterways, and also provide specialist research and analysis.

Indigenous community The region is the country of the Woiworung (Maribyrnong, Dandenong, Yarra), Boonerwrung (Westernport) and Wathaurong (Werribee) communities.

Interest groups Environmental and community organisations such as Environment Victoria, advisory and co-ordinating committees, local conservation, Landcare and ‘Friends of’ groups that play a key role in engaging the community and liaising with Melbourne Water.

Industry groups Land developers, design and construction industries and other public utility providers undertaking infrastructure works that have direct impacts on waterways.

Councils Councils provide local drainage systems and regulate land use and management.

Research organisations Organisations such as eWater Cooperative Research Centre, Amphibian Research Centre, Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research and CSIRO who provide expertise and specialist research.

Other agencies Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, EPA Victoria, Department of Primary Industries, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Department of Human Services, Municipal Association of Victoria, Parks Victoria and the Central Coastal Board are involved in many important waterway, drainage and fl ood management issues.

Suppliers A wide variety of companies providing materials, goods and services to, or undertaking maintenance and construction work for, Melbourne Water.

Water supply

companies

Retail water businesses (City West Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water) to whom we supply water and with whom we have water supply agreements and other companies supplying water to other parts of our region, including Southern Rural Water and Westernport Water.

7.1 Community and Stakeholder Engagement and Involvement

Students from Karoo Primary School help to plant

along the banks of Ferny Creek at Ferntree Gully.

21

ProgramsTo ensure we meet our long-term and 10-year goals, we will undertake the following programs over the next fi ve years. These activities align with the priorities in the Waterways Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Framework.

Performance Target

Goals and actions in the Waterways Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Framework will be achieved and implemented.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on an annual report of progress towards targets and actions.

Communication

Our communication programs will strengthen stakeholder and community understanding of our role and responsibilities, provide access to credible information, promote opportunities for involvement in our work, and help foster a greater sense of connection between people and their waterways.

Projects designed to help us achieve these goals include improving our communication of monitoring, investigation and research information through brochures, factsheets and websites. The successful ‘Our Yarra’ website model will be rolled out to other major catchments in the region, providing a valuable local information resource for community’s and stakeholders.

We will build on our existing program that measures and reports on community satisfaction with waterways by incorporating assessment of satisfaction with our engagement processes. This information will help our understanding of community communication, engagement and perceptions about waterways.

Melbourne Water is committed to providing timely, informative and helpful responses to issues or complaints raised by customers and the community, in a transparent and consistent manner. Our Enquiry Centre will continue to provide information on drainage rates, fl ood levels, water quality information, rainfall data, maintenance and other waterway issues.

Performance Target

70% of community satisfaction with waterways will be maintained, and a mechanism to measure community and stakeholder satisfaction with our engagement processes will be developed and implemented.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on annual progress against the two activities.

Community and stakeholder engagement

We will provide diverse opportunities for involving community and other stakeholders in planning and delivery of waterway programs.

Examples of consultation and involvement opportunities include:

• obligations and responsibilities – such as when producing development services schemes, or engaging with our diversions customers

• Developing strategies and plans – such as stream fl ow management plans or waterway activity plans

• Developing and implementing our programs, projects and works – such as fl ood mitigation works, or managing the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands.

In partnership with the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, we will develop more effect mechanisms to support community groups to protect and improve waterways.

Performance Target

Avenues for supporting community waterway management projects that support achievement of Regional River Health Strategy and Waterways Water Quality Strategy targets will be maintained and diversifi ed.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on an annual report on the number and diversity of community projects.

Frog Census Volunteers recording frogs

at Blackburn Lake Sanctuary

Primary school students using Melbourne Water’s

Active Catchment Education (ACE) model.

22

Case study

Strengthening our working relationships with stakeholders In 2006, Melbourne Water developed ‘Making Connections’ a new, catchment-based method for building on existing cooperative relationships, strengthening understanding and connection between people, and exploring new opportunities for working together to protect the health of catchments, waterways and the bays.

‘Making Connections’ signalled a change in our approach to stakeholder engagement, emphasising active listening, collaboration with our community stakeholders in waterway management, and building connections through personal relationships. Each event brings together a wide variety of people with an interest in waterways, representing community and environment groups, local government, schools and universities, private industry, rural landholders, and retail water companies. Ideas and actions generated at each event infl uence our planning, programs, on-ground works and partnerships, highlighting the value of community and stakeholder input. Outcomes from events to date highlight the importance of Melbourne Water:

• building trust, demonstrating openness and transparency and following through on commitments• improving support and forming effective partnerships with community groups to get people involved and connected to waterways• continuously building knowledge and awareness of the health of waterways • clarifying roles and responsibilities around waterways.

These events proved so successful in making connections and strengthening working relationships that a series of regular events across the region will now be held on an annual basis.

7.1 Community and Stakeholder Engagement and Involvement

We will build on current programs to build trust and share information, and continually build and report on our understanding of community needs and expectations. In addition to market research to measure community needs and satisfaction, we will achieve these aims by undertaking activities such as annual ‘Making Connections’ events in each major catchment.

We will also improve our reporting on waterways, by delivering an annual report to stakeholders and the community on our activities over that year.

One of the goals of Melbourne Water’s Strategic Framework is to preserve and promote Indigenous and European cultural heritage. To reinforce our recognition of cultural heritage in our day-to-day work, Melbourne Water has developed a Cultural Heritage Strategy. The strategy ensures all business activities and works on waterways respect Indigenous and European values, and do not threaten the integrity and values of sites and places with signifi cant cultural heritage.

Performance Target

Waterways Group activities will respect Indigenous and European values and follow guidelines set out in the Melbourne Water Cultural Heritage Strategy.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on assessing projects to ensure Cultural Heritage Strategy guidelines have been followed.

Education and awareness

Melbourne Water will continue to build community knowledge and awareness of river health, water quality and fl ood management issues by delivering a diversity of education programs. Examples include the Port Phillip and Westernport Waterwatch and Frog Census, the new Melbourne Water wetland discovery centre at Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands, and tours of our Western and Eastern Treatment Plants.

We will improve signage of waterways projects to raise awareness and understanding of rehabilitation works. We will also improve education and awareness through a range of tools including our Waterwatch trailer, Flood Explorer model and Active Catchment Education stormwater model.

We will also undertake fl ood education and communications programs in conjunction with councils to increase community understanding of fl ooding, how the impact of fl oods can be reduced, and the Government’s fl ood response role (see Flood Management and Drainage section for more detail).

Partnership projects

Through partnerships, we achieve our shared goals for managing waterways, drainage and fl oodplains, and work towards our long-term goal of strengthening working relationships with key stakeholders and the community.

We will continue to support new and existing community and stakeholder initiatives to help manage waterways, drainage and fl oodplains, and form effective partnerships to connect people with waterways.

To do this, we will encourage new and ongoing partnerships between industry and business groups as well as organisations such as Greening Australia and the Amphibian Research Centre. Melbourne Water will strengthen partnerships with landowners through our River Health Incentive Programs (see case study).

We will strengthen our partnership with the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority by supporting their fl agship projects such as Yarra for Life and Grow West, and delivering a co-ordinated grants and community support program for councils, Landcare and community groups.

23

Case study

Melbourne Water’s river health incentive programs Our grants programs are co-ordinated with other grants programs in the region including the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority’s Community Grants Program. These programs fund affordable, non-technical works that can be easily implemented to improve river health. They help individuals, community groups and agencies carry out river health projects, develop practical skills and create partnerships.

River Health Incentive Programs include the:

• Stream Frontage Management Program, which was originally a rural based program but expanded during 2005/06 to assist urban landholders with stream protection works

• Corridors of Green Program, which helps local government and other agencies responsible for public land with a waterway frontage

• Community Grants Program, which helps community groups work on publicly managed land with a waterway frontage

• Go for Green, which provides funding for managers of golf courses and other sports facilities that have a waterway frontage.

During the 10 years to June 2006, the Stream Frontage Management Program allocated over 2,300 grants totalling $5,779,000. Works include planting 870,000 trees and shrubs and installing 567 kilometres of fencing.

Melbourne Water also provides grants to community volunteer groups such as ‘Friends of’ and Landcare for revegetation projects, establishment of indigenous nurseries and revegetation equipment.

Tree planting to improve river health

24

7.2 Managing Waterways

Photograph above: Watts River.

25

Melbourne Water works in partnership with landholders, Government agencies, industry and the wider community to protect and improve over 8000 kilometres of rivers, creeks, estuaries and fl oodplains and a number of wetlands in the Port Phillip and Westernport region.

Aims and goals

Long-term aim

To ensure that Melbourne’s rivers and creeks are healthy, with increased numbers of native fi sh, platypus and plant life.

10-year goals

To have 50% of rivers and creeks in good or excellent condition by 2015 (as measured by the Index of River Condition).

The 10-year resource condition targets identifi ed in the Regional River Health Strategy (shown on page 25) will help us assess progress towards long-term goals.

Our responsibilitiesMelbourne Water is the caretaker of river health and designated waterway manager for the Port Phillip and Westernport region. In collaboration with others, we are responsible for achieving healthy rivers, creeks, estuaries, wetlands and fl oodplains that meet the environmental, economic, recreational and cultural needs of current and future generations.

We are responsible, in conjunction with the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, community and other stakeholders, for developing and implementing the Port Phillip and Westernport Regional River Health Strategy. To be reviewed by 2012, the strategy includes a range of targets for managing the riparian zone, aquatic habitat, channel form, water quality, stream fl ows, recreation, heritage values and estuaries and fl oodplains.

As a “Protection Agency” under the Environment Protection Act 1970, another responsibility is responding to pollution incidents and blue-green algal outbreaks on waterways. This role is carried out in conjunction with other agencies including EPA Victoria, the Department of Sustainability and Environment and Parks Victoria.

Setting our prioritiesPriorities for the protection and rehabilitation of rivers, creeks, estuaries, fl oodplains and wetlands are based on the Port Phillip and Westernport Regional River Health Strategy – a strategy produced in close consultation with Government, councils, community and indigenous stakeholders and endorsed by the Minister in 2006.

The strategy contains broad priorities for rivers and creeks in the region to achieve our long-term aim of making Melbourne’s rivers and creeks healthy, with increased numbers of native fi sh, platypus and plant life.

The strategy aligns with the State-wide philosophy of protecting existing high value rivers and creeks that are in good condition and improvement of rivers and creeks in areas where there is:

• highest environmental and community gain for resources invested

• community commitment towards long-term improvement of river health.

It also acknowledges that in highly modifi ed rivers and creeks in urban areas, the potential to achieve environmental improvements is limited. In these waterways, the principal aim of programs is to protect or improve social or amenity values in line with community expectations. Managing risks to public safety and public and private assets (eg roads and bridges) is also given priority in expenditure.

• Broad priorities in the Regional River Health Strategy have been translated into a program of works to ensure we are on track to meeting our 10-year goal of having 50% of rivers and creeks in good or excellent condition by 2015.

Table 2: 10-year resource condition targets from the Port Phillip & Westernport Regional River Health Strategy. These targets are used to measure the outcomes of river health actions to show progress towards our 10-year goal.

Target Area

10 Year Resource

Condition Target

Length of rivers and creeks in excellent or good IRC condition 3,500 km

Number of high value river reaches meeting environmental fl ow objectives 5

Length of river showing improvement in streamside condition 3,600 km

Length of river with improvement in IRC physical form sub-index rating 3,400 km

Improvement in IRC aquatic life sub-index rating 2,800 km

Increase in river length made accessible for fi sh movement 1,500 km

Kilometres of Ecologically Healthy Rivers reaches maintained 1,300 km

Percentage of monitoring sites meeting SEPP objectives or regional targets established through the SEPP “Waters of Victoria” risk assessment process

80%

26

7.2 Managing Waterways

Current statusMany attributes combine to make up the condition of rivers and creeks. Melbourne Water rates the environmental condition of rivers and creeks using a compound indicator called the Index of River Condition (IRC) (based on the Index of Stream Condition, developed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment for rural rivers and creeks).

The Index of River Condition combines the scores for fi ve major waterway attributes including physical form, streamside zone, hydrology, water quality and aquatic life. It is a numerical score that translates into a rating of excellent, good, moderate, poor or very poor. A comprehensive assessment of waterways in the region has been undertaken over many years, and a summary of results is following.

Figure 4: Condition Summary – Index of River

Condition for the Port Phillip & Westernport

Region (Regional River Health Strategy 2006)

Some 25% of waterways assessed are in good or excellent condition, and our 10-year goal is to increase this to 50% of waterways. Some 31% are in moderate condition and 44% are in poor to very poor condition (see Figure 3). Generally, the pattern is a gradual decline from the headwaters of the catchment to the sea, as land use changes from forest to rural to urban, refl ecting the impact of people and activities in the catchment. Condition deteriorates progressively downstream as a result of runoff from urban and agricultural land, weeds, bed and bank erosion, loss of instream habitat, barriers to fi sh migration and modifi ed fl ows.

ProgramsThe Port Phillip and Westernport Regional River Health Strategy

The strategy contains broad priorities for rivers and creeks in the region to achieve our long-term aims of making Melbourne’s rivers and creeks healthy, with increased numbers of native fi sh, platypus and plant life. More specifi cally, the strategy includes:• a common vision for river and creek

management in the region• a fi ve year blueprint for agencies and

communities to work together to improve rivers and creeks

• broad priorities for rivers and creeks • regional goals and targets for river health

and associated management programs.

Priority waterways programs include:

• working with stakeholders and the community to manage practices that affect the health of rivers and creeks

• undertaking works programs to improve or create habitat, stabilise channels and improve water quality

• undertaking planning, monitoring, investigations and research to improve our knowledge and understanding of the health of rivers and improving fl ow

• ensuring land development planning protects and enhances rivers and creeks.

Performance Target

The Port Phillip and Westernport Regional River Health Strategy will be reviewed by 2012, in accordance with Department of Sustainability and Environment guidelines.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on evaluating progress towards this target.

Yarra River at Fairfield Boathouse,

Studley Park.

Little River in the

Brisbane Ranges.

27

Waterways management programs

Waterway management works include rehabilitation works to improve condition, maintenance works to protect and maintain condition and regulation of activities to minimise impacts on waterways.

Waterway rehabilitation works involve the integration of specifi c waterway actions such as weed removal, streamside revegetation, removing of fi sh barriers and bed and bank stabilisation along a waterway or section of waterway.

Not only are rehabilitation works co-ordinated and integrated to deliver maximum results for river health, the location, timing and nature of rehabilitation programs takes into account the environmental and social values of the waterway being rehabilitated.

For waterways in good or excellent condition in rural and forested areas, this means rehabilitation aims to re-create a natural state. In contrast, for highly urbanised systems where catchment pressures are severe, rehabilitation projects emphasise social values.

The Regional River Health Strategy includes waterway rehabilitation implementation targets to help measure progress towards our 10-year goal of 50% of waterways being in good or excellent condition.

It is important that our rehabilitated waterways, and waterways in good condition, are maintained and protected. Maintenance of waterways is carried out to ensure:

• the condition of the river or creek system does not deteriorate

• assets are protected

• adequate measures are taken to ensure public safety

• normal obligations such as fi re prevention works and shared fencing costs are met.

Specifi c maintenance activities include replacement of fencing, signage, minor stabilisation works, weed control, repairs to structures, and removal of rubbish and silt. The maintenance program is implemented in consultation with landowners, local residents and other stakeholders.

We regulate activities on waterways to work towards our long-term aim of having healthy rivers and creeks. All works on waterways require Melbourne Water’s approval so that conditions to protect the values of rivers or creeks are added to development application approvals where these are not apparent in the original development application. This ensures that acceptable standards are applied to protect rivers and creeks, irrespective of land ownership and other considerations. All instances of known unauthorised works affecting rivers and creeks will be investigated and remedial action will be sought where necessary.

Performance Target

Five-year implementation targets and regional priorities set out in the Regional River Health Strategy will be achieved.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on evaluating the extent to which the approved program is achieved each year and contribution made to the achievement of resource condition targets set by the Regional River Health Strategy.

Case study

Big improvement for Little Yarra Re-introducing old tree trunks into the stream bed, installing a fi sh ladder, involving local farmers and replacing willows with native vegetation have resulted in signifi cant improvements for the Little Yarra River.

Rising in mountain ash forests in the Yarra Ranges above Warburton, the Little Yarra passes through rural areas to join the Yarra River below Yarra Junction. Its upper sections are in good to excellent condition, supporting a variety of signifi cant fl ora and fauna species, good water quality and a diversity of streamside and in-stream habitats.

Melbourne Water identifi ed the Little Yarra River as a waterway in good condition that would benefi t from a series of integrated rehabilitation works designed to lift its condition to excellent. Rehabilitation works in 2003 re-introduced old tree trunks into the upper reaches to improve in-stream habitat.

These works have been extended with the recent completion of a fi shway to help fi sh migrate, and the involvement of local farmers through the Steam Frontage Management Program which assists landholders to fence off waterways from stock and to replant banks with native vegetation.

In the middle and lower reaches removal of willows and other weeds, and revegetation provide further water quality and habitat improvements.

28

7.2 Managing Waterways

River health planning

Waterway plans help translate priorities in the Regional River Health Strategy into a program of works by identifying specifi c rehabilitation works along a waterway or section of waterway required to improve condition. They are developed in consultation with councils, key government agencies and other local stakeholders such as ‘Friends of’ groups, and are used to co-ordinate rehabilitation works.

Waterway plans are developed for rivers and creeks where:

• there is a high environmental or social value (as identifi ed in the Regional River Health Strategy)

• there is an opportunity to work with the community or where a specifi c need arises for more detailed planning.

Plans are revised twice over their 15-year life to review progress, reassess priorities and consider new requirements and changes in stakeholder needs and expectations. A key part of the review process is to monitor implementation of the recommendations in the original plans, and to update the actions in light of progress towards our 10-year goal of having 50% or rivers and creeks in good or excellent condition.

Performance Target

Waterway plans for rivers of high social and environmental value will be prepared to meet the implementation targets in the Regional River Health Strategy, and will be reviewed twice over their 15-year life.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on evaluating progress towards this target.

Incident response

Melbourne Water manages an all-hours incident response capability to minimise:

• potential damage to property or the environment

• danger to the health or well-being of the community.

Incidents can include fl ooding, asset failures, pollution spills, major fi res, fi sh kills and blue-green algae outbreaks. Roles and responsibilities in relation to river and creek pollution incidents are detailed in an agreement between EPA Victoria, Parks Victoria and Melbourne Water.

Roles and responsibilities for response to blue-green algae outbreaks are agreed with the Department of Sustainability and Environment. Melbourne Water is responsible for testing all incidences of algal blooms. Generally, if a severe bloom occurs, Melbourne Water will notify all interested parties (including government agencies, local councils and diverters), erect warning signs where the bloom is occurring and intensify sampling to monitor the bloom.

Successful delivery of the service depends on having appropriate contingency plans and response protocols in place, regular refresher training for staff, and periodic testing of communications and other associated systems.

Performance Target

Incident response training will be provided for all personnel involved in incident management.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed each year by reference to Melbourne Water’s records of completed training.

Performance Target

All incidents that require a response will be managed promptly and in accordance with Melbourne Water procedures.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed each year by reference to Melbourne Water’s records of performance in responding to incidents.

29

7.3 Managing Environmental Flows

Photograph above: Yarra River at Warburton.

30

Melbourne Water works in partnership with Government agencies, industries, landowners and the community to manage environmental fl ows for river health and to support benefi cial uses. The challenge we face is how to manage environmental fl ows given competing demands for water, particularly when a reduction in stream fl ows is anticipated with climate change.

Aims and goals

Long-term aim

Waterways are managed to ensure suffi cient environmental fl ows to support river health and protect benefi cial uses.

10-year goal

Signifi cant progress is made towards implementing Environmental Water Reserve recommendations of the Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy and Our Water Our Future action plan.

Our responsibilitiesAs the caretaker of river health and the Environmental Water Reserve manager, Melbourne Water has a critical role in managing the Environmental Water Reserve to meet our long-term aim of ensuring suffi cient environmental fl ows to support river health and benefi cial uses of waterways.

Melbourne Water has a dual water supply and waterway management responsibility, which represents a unique opportunity to tackle management of the Environmental Water Reserve in the Port Phillip and Westernport region. Together, the collective expertise of water supply hydrologists and environmental planners are a powerful tool to fi nd solutions to managing this reserve of water.

Management of licensed private diverters is an important aspect of managing the fl ow and ecological health of rivers and creeks. Diverted water is primarily used for agricultural, industrial, commercial and domestic and stock purposes. Melbourne Water manages river diversions by licensing extractions and farm dams in accordance with the Water Act 1989. The licensing system protects river health and ensures that scarce resources are shared equitably between farmers, other water users and the environment.

We are responsible for managing approximately 2,000 diverters in the Yarra catchment, parts of the lower Maribyrnong and in some creeks in western catchments, with a total annual licensed volume of 45,000 megalitres. Southern Rural Water is licensing manager for surface water and groundwater in the remainder of the Port Phillip and Westernport region.

Melbourne Water, as the licensing authority, is also responsible for developing streamfl ow management plans, bulk entitlements and local management rules in these catchments. This is done in conjunction with stakeholders so that waterways are managed to ensure suffi cient environmental fl ows for river health and their benefi cial uses.

Setting our prioritiesOur priorities for management of environmental fl ows and diversions align with our long-term aims of supporting river health and protecting benefi cial uses, and are guided by a range of documents that have had extensive consultation with community, water users and government stakeholders.

Priorities are primarily based on the Our Water Our Future action plan and the Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy.

The Our Water Our Future action plan identifi es nine rivers in the Port Phillip and Westernport region that require streamfl ow management plans to manage environmental fl ows by 2009. Melbourne Water is responsible for developing streamfl ow management plans in the Yarra catchment (eight plans) with the streamfl ow management plan for the upper reaches of the Maribyrnong River to be developed by Southern Rural Water.

The Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy identifi ed the Werribee, Maribyrnong, Tarago and Yarra rivers as high priorities for enhanced Environmental Water Reserves for river basins because they are considered by Government to be fully allocated. As the Environmental Water Reserve manager, Melbourne Water gives this initiative priority.

Priorities from these two strategies have been incorporated into the Regional River Health Strategy and translated into a program of works. Consistent with the strategy, priority is also given to protecting rivers that may not be currently fl ow-stressed.

7.3 Managing Environmental Flows

31

Case study

Yarra River Environmental Water Reserve The 270 kilometre long Yarra River runs through forested, rural and urban areas, and provides 60% of Melbourne’s water supply. Major storages and other diversion structures have harvested an average of 290 gigalitres of water each year over the last 10 years. This equates to between 50-60% of the river’s natural stream fl ow.

The Yarra River has always had a portion of water set aside to maintain environmental fl ows, but through development of the Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy, the Yarra was granted a legal entitlement to this Environmental Water Reserve, called the Yarra Environmental Entitlement 2006.

It sets aside 17 gigalitres of stored water for release to help meet minimum fl ows requirements at six points along the Yarra River. With this legal entitlement, the needs of the environment are now considered equally alongside the need for diversions for water supply, farming and other agricultural businesses.

To arrive at the amount of 17 gigalitres, environmental fl ow scientists combined technical research with local knowledge of river behaviour provided by river users and other members of the local community. Detailed modelling ensured that this amount achieved environmental outcomes for the Yarra, as well as allowing the river to meet its water supply demand under a range of different climate conditions.

This was a signifi cant achievement for the environment, as this volume of water can now be used solely for providing the maximum benefi t to the environment. This may be used to provide fl ushing fl ows after a dry period to help fi sh movement or to trigger fi sh spawning.

The community, local councils, government agencies and other stakeholders have been involved in discussions of how to use this Environmental Water Reserve. Proposals include releasing high priority fl ows at the end of every summer and winter, as well as more opportunistic releases that mimic nature by matching volumes of water released from dams with those fl owing in each day.

Yarra River at Warburton.

32

7.3 Managing Environmental Flows

Current statusFlows are a key component of overall river health. Variation in fl ow from natural patterns is a major risk to rivers and creeks in the region. Several rivers such as the Yarra, Werribee, Maribyrnong and Tarago are considered fl ow-stressed.

An Environmental Water Reserve is the environment’s legal share of water. It can be held as a volume in storage for release to a river, or it can be a share of fl ow in a river that is protected from water harvesting.

The Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy enhanced the Environmental Water Reserve of the Werribee River (additional 6,000 megalitres), Maribyrnong River (additional 3,000 megalitres), Tarago River (additional 3,000 megalitres) and Yarra River (additional 17,000 megalitres). We are currently in progress toward meeting our 10-year goal of implementing these Environmental Water Reserve recommendations. The Yarra Environmental Entitlement was granted in 2006 as the fi rst step to implementing these proposals.

Six of the eight streamfl ow management plans identifi ed in the Our Water Our Future action plan have been completed in conjunction with community committees, and plans for Woori Yallock Creek and the Little Yarra and Don rivers will soon be prepared.

One of our challenges is over-allocation of water resources that diminishes natural fl ow regimes to the point where rivers are fl ow-stressed. Another challenge for us is increasing urbanisation that is likely to increase run-off and change the pattern of fl ows in rivers. These impacts are likely to be exacerbated in the future with more intense storms and overall reduced rainfall from climate change, and a increased demand for water from growing populations. These factors present signifi cant challenges to the establishment of environmental fl ows.

ProgramsThere are three ways we manage environmental fl ows to lead us to our long-term goal of having suffi cient environmental fl ows to support river health and benefi cial uses of waterways. These processes all include consultation with water users, Government stakeholders and other interested parties. They are:

• placing conditions on bulk water entitlements granted to water authorities

• preparing stream fl ow management plans

• preparing local management rules.

Bulk water abstractions from rivers are managed under Bulk Entitlement Agreements that are negotiated with the Department of Sustainability and Environment on the basis of the environmental fl ow requirements of the rivers in question. Bulk entitlements contain requirements to release water to the environment and set limits to volumes of water that can be taken from the environment. The environment may also receive its own Environmental Entitlement (equivalent to a bulk entitlement) which allows water to be stored and released in dams to achieve the maximum environmental benefi t.

Streamfl ow management plans collectively govern streamfl ow diversions by individual license holders, such as farmers, to ensure that environmental fl ows are protected. These plans are developed by community consultative committees that include licence holders.

For minor unregulated creeks where the preparation of streamfl ow management plans is not justifi ed, local management rules establish minimum environmental fl ow requirements and ensure that water extraction does not exceed historic or sustainable levels.

We will work with the community and other agencies and water managers to meet Environmental Water Reserve outcomes and achieve our 10-year goal by:

• investigating the environmental water requirements of priority rivers in the Port Phillip and Westernport region

• participating in negotiations to convert these requirements into legally protected Environmental Water Reserves in bulk entitlements, stream fl ow management plans and local rules

• helping deliver Environmental Water Reserves to the environment each year and monitor environmental outcomes.

In urban areas, it may also be possible to harvest stormwater for reuse through the Central Sustainable Water Strategy recommendation of investigating ways to achieve more sustainable urban development. This may reduce the impacts of urbanisation on stream fl ows, and provide associated water quality benefi ts. Part of our investigations will include developing a program to identify and quantify opportunities for sustainable harvesting of urban stormwater.

Performance Target

An environmental fl ows study for all major rivers and creeks will be completed by 2013.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed by reference to the number of completed environmental fl ow studies.

Performance Target

A program to improve environmental fl ows in major rivers and creeks that currently do not meet agreed scientifi c fl ow objectives to:

• enhance existing Environmental Water Reserves, and

• build the capacity of water managers to meet their Environmental Water Reserve obligations

will be developed and implemented.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on a report against the agreed program.

The Essential Services Commission has developed a Rural Water Customer Service Code. Water businesses are required to comply with the code when providing regulated supply services or granting diversions licences to customers.

Melbourne Water complies with customer-related standards and procedures set out in the Code by developing and complying with our own customer charter, which sets out approved service standards.

Performance Target

Diversions will be managed in accordance with rules specifi ed in stream fl ow management plans, local management rules or drought response plans, and to meet the service requirements in Melbourne Water’s Customer Charter for Diversion Services.

Measurement

Performance will be based on annual reports in accordance with the Performance Reporting Framework for Rural Businesses as developed by the Essential Services Commission.

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7.4 Managing Water Quality

Photograph above: Litter trap in the Yarra River.

34

7.4 Managing Water Quality

All human activities in the Port Phillip and Westernport region have varying degrees of impact on water quality. Melbourne Water works in collaboration with others to improve the quality of stormwater and catchment run-off. While much focus is rightly placed on the impact of urban areas, stormwater run-off from rural areas also has a signifi cant impact on water quality. Meeting community expectations for water quality improvement in the face of continued urbanisation and catchment pressures is a major challenge.

Aims and goals

Long-term aim

In collaboration with others, to achieve objectives for water quality in accordance with State environmental protection policies and targets set out in the Regional River Health Strategy and Waterways Water Quality Strategy.

10-year goal

In collaboration with others, protect and improve water quality to signifi cantly counteract the effects of growth in greater Melbourne and achieve a net reduction in pollutant loads for the Port Phillip and Westernport region.

Our responsibilitiesMelbourne Water, in collaboration with others, is responsible for undertaking and co-ordinating regional water quality programs to meet water quality targets in the Regional River Health Strategy.

As a Protection Agency under the Environment Protection Act 1970, Melbourne Water is required to take action to help achieve water quality objectives for individual waterways, in line with Government State environment protection policies.

Melbourne Water is also responsible for planning and co-ordinating programs in the Yarra River Action Plan, with assistance from the Yarra Co-ordinating Committee.

Setting our priorities Our priorities are guided by our long-term aim of working in collaboration with others to achieve objectives for water quality, and are based on:

• the Yarra River Action Plan, which identifi es priority actions to improve the health of the Yarra River

• the Port Phillip and Westernport Regional Catchment Strategy and Regional River Health Strategy, which identify water quality targets and a program of action to meet these targets

• the Port Phillip Bay Environmental Management Plan, which sets a target to reduce nitrogen loads to the bay by 500 tonnes per year by 2010.

• State environment protection policies, which identify water quality objectives for rivers, creeks and bays to protect benefi cial uses and defi ne programs to meet these objectives

• Council stormwater management plans, which improve the quality of run-off entering rivers and creeks or affecting beaches.

Melbourne Water’s Waterways Water Quality Strategy integrates all responsibilities allocated to Melbourne Water in the above policies and strategies and translates them into an integrated water quality program. The Strategy has been developed as part of the Better Bays and Waterways plan of action being undertaken by EPA Victoria and Melbourne Water. This plans for improved water quality in the rivers and bays of the region and has a wide consultation process.

The actions outlined in the Waterways Water Quality Strategy are based on:

• analysis of Melbourne Water’s obligations

• assessment of water quality threats to the environmental, social and economic values of our waterways and bays

• use of models to investigate the impact of potential management actions

• cost effectiveness and triple bottom line assessment of management actions.

Current statusWater quality in urban rivers and creeks has improved signifi cantly since the 1970s. This improvement is primarily due to industrial waste being diverted from rivers and creeks into the sewerage system, and the introduction of large-scale sewerage services in Melbourne’s developed areas.

In the past 10 years, water quality has generally been maintained in the face of increasing urbanisation, population growth and intensifi cation of agriculture. However, while pollution from industrial discharges, waste disposal and unsewered urban areas has declined, urban stormwater run-off has increased as Melbourne has grown.

Despite our past successes, our rivers and creeks do not fully meet State environment protection policy requirements, and attainment of targets for nutrients and several heavy metals is low in both rural and urban waterways. Similarly, attainment of objectives for E. coli, which is an indicator of the likely presence of pathogens, is also low in both urban and rural areas. This poses a risk to recreational uses and values associated with our waterways.

Water quality deterioration is greatest in urban waterways. The majority of diffuse nitrogen loads to both Port Phillip Bay and Western Port are generated from urban areas, followed by pasture and cropping on non-irrigated land. In Port Phillip Bay catchments, urban areas make up 27% ofthe land use but contribute over 70% of pollutant loads (73% of nitrogen and 77% of suspended solids). A different pattern is observed for the Westernport catchment where agricultural land uses dominate and represent the largest source of nutrients and suspended solids.

35

Earlier approaches to managing water quality involved a focus on engineering and end-of-pipe solutions. In recent years, a move to a more integrated approach and focus on working in partnerships has enabled us to progress towards our 10-year goal of mitigating the impacts of urban growth and achieving a net reduction in pollutant loads from 2001. Collaborating with others will continue to be a vital part of our programs.

ProgramsMelbourne Water works in collaboration with others to improve the quality of stormwater and catchment runoff and protect waterways and bays in accordance with Government objectives and targets. This is achieved by:

• working with stakeholders and the community to manage practices that impact on waterway and bay water quality

• undertaking works to improve stormwater quality and rural runoff entering waterways and bays

• ensuring development and management of land is planned to protect waterway and bay water quality.

Equipping industry, local government and communities to manage water quality (capacity building)

As all activities that occur in the catchment affect water quality, no single agency can undertake all the necessary activities on its own. Progress towards State environment protection policy objectives and water quality targets will only be achieved through the delivery of collaborative programs via State agencies, local government, industry and rural landholders. The capacity of industry and local government to deliver best practice stormwater management has been identifi ed as a key barrier to the adoption of sustainable practices.

Melbourne Water will play a leadership role in building the capacity of business and local government to deliver best practice water quality management.

We will support the Clearwater capacity building program for industry and local government. The capacity building program uses a range of creative tools and approaches to deliver tailored, professionally-based education and training to local government and industry professionals on sustainable urban water management.

Melbourne Water will assess councils’ performance through a needs analysis process. In addition, Melbourne Water will assist councils to develop local implementation targets for pollutants, fl ows and percentage of impervious surfaces and encourage their integration into the review of stormwater management plans.

Melbourne Water will build community capacity through programs that encourage the installation of raingardens. Programs will support the construction of raingardens on private lots and community venues, and building raingardens in schools with a supporting education program.

Performance Target

70% of councils will improve their ability to deliver sustainable urban water management by 2013.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed by reference to records of council needs analysis scores each year and assess progress

Performance Target

10 training modules will be delivered under the Clearwater Program each year, with assistance from Melbourne Water.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed by reference to records of training modules completed each year.

Performance Target

10,000 rain gardens will be built with the community by 2013.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed by annual progress towards the target of achieving 10,000 rain gardens by 2013.

Raingarden to treat stormwater at the

Federation Square carpark.

36

7.4 Managing Water Quality

7.4 Managing Water Quality

Regional Water Quality program

The Regional Water Quality program involves creating regional wetlands, installation of water sensitive urban design features, and the investigation and elimination of point source toxicants. This targeted program will result in immediate gains in reducing pollutant loads, and work toward our 10-year goal of reducing net pollutant loads.

We will continue to construct wetland systems that are designed to remove an average of 10 tonnes of nitrogen from stormwater for each year of the program, which began in 2000 and will run to 2010. We will also fulfi l Melbourne Water’s obligations to local government stormwater management plans.

Melbourne Water’s Stormwater Quality Offsets Strategy encourages developers to achieve best practice stormwater quality treatment objectives in new housing developments using at source treatments. If developers choose not to include treatment in the development they are required to pay fi nancial contribution to offset their pollution loads and contribute towards regional treatment elsewhere in the catchment. This includes, for example, Melbourne Water constructing a regional wetland.

A local government on-ground program of works will reduce stormwater pollutants (E.coli, heavy metals and nutrients) by supporting local government to implement water sensitive urban design features in built-up areas. Design features include bio retention basins, tree pits, rain gardens, litter traps and grassed drainage areas. Melbourne Water will adopt a partnership model developed through the Yarra River Action Plan to support local government in integrating stormwater treatment into council capital works programs.

Point sources of pollution (toxicants and pathogens) originating from industry discharges and illegal connections contribute to poor water quality. This program will identify, investigate and eliminate known point sources. If the source cannot be found, Melbourne Water will use toxicant traps and other structural measures to minimise or eliminate impacts on water quality.

Performance Target

Implementation targets in the Regional River Health Strategy and Waterways Water Quality Strategy for local government on-ground works and regional water quality treatment will be achieved.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on evaluating the extent to which contribution is made to targets in the Waterways Water Quality Strategy.

Performance Target

Eight pollution hotspots will be addressed by 2013.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed by a review of the number of pollution hotspots addressed each year.

Planning for improved water quality

Planning for improved water quality includes preparation of the Better Bays and Waterways plan and planning for urban development (see Managing Urban Growth section for more detail).

EPA Victoria and Melbourne Water have entered into a joint agreement to develop a regional Better Bays and Waterways plan for Port Phillip Bay, Western Port and the rivers and creeks of the Port Phillip and Westernport region. With funding support from the Australian Government’s Coastal Catchments Initiative, this project represents a signifi cant investment in water quality planning and improvement.

The Better Bays and Waterways plan will integrate current water quality activities with new ideas to frame water quality improvements for the region’s major rivers, creeks, estuaries and bays. One of the tasks is to assess the impact of future urban growth, which contributes knowledge to our 10-year goal of signifi cantly counteracting the effects of this growth on water quality. Actions and targets to improve water quality will be developed, and assigned to the responsible Government agency.

Performance Target

Project manage the development of and implement programs assigned to Melbourne Water from the Better Bays and Waterways plan.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on evaluating progress towards the Better Bays and Waterways contract work plan.

Rural land management

Some 60% of Melbourne Water’s operating area comprises rural land. Run-off from rural land contributes to poor water quality and is a signifi cant source of nitrogen that enters Port Phillip Bay and Western Port. An improvement in water quality in rural waterways is required to meet our long-term goal of achieving objectives for water quality and our 10-year goal of reducing pollutant loads from 2001 levels.

Melbourne Water will work with the Department of Primary Industries, the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority and rural industries to develop and implement a rural land management program. This program will encourage the adoption of agricultural best management practices to improve water quality. Where feasible and cost effective, treatment facilities such as regional wetlands will also be installed.

Performance Target

A program to manage run-off in rural areas will be developed and implemented.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on evaluating the effi cacy of the program at engaging priority farming sectors in the targeted sub-management units and delivering sustained practice change through the implementation of selected agricultural best management practices.

37

Case study

Raingardens the beginning of a tree-roots revolution Thirsty trees inspired the residents of Acland Street, South Yarra, to join forces with Melbourne Water in a project that improves streetscapes, saves trees and water, reduces pollution and improves drainage.

Stormwater run-off from Acland Street’s driveways, pavements and road surfaces has been directed into raingardens built around the base of each tree. The raingardens’ soil and plant roots help fi lter pollutants like oils, metals and litter, before the stormwater is drained away. This provides a sustainable watering and feeding system for the trees as well as improving the quality of stormwater entering local waterways and the Bay.

Working with Melbourne Water, several councils including Kingston and Yarra have developed similar projects, and it is hoped that this approach could become part of regular street upgrades. Stormwater is now being fed around the base of trees planted in Little Bourke Street in the city to help to reduce pollution entering the Yarra River and Port Phillip Bay.

And by 2013, Melbourne Water aims to build community and council capacity by providing support for the construction of 10,000 rain gardens across Melbourne. To raise further awareness about the links between river health, urban design, and stormwater management, Melbourne Water has also introduced a Raingardens in Schools scheme.

Richmond Primary School students have joined in by planting three raingardens to collect and fi lter the stormwater run-off from school buildings.

Tree-pit raingarden in Acland Street, South Yarra.

38

7.5 Flood Management and Drainage

Photograph above: Flooding along Glenferrie

Road, Hawthorn, January 2004.

39

Like droughts, fl oods are a natural event and Melbourne Water cannot remove all fl ood risks. We strive to minimise intolerable fl ood risks, raise community awareness and understanding of fl ooding, and to engage the community, local councils and other stakeholders in discussion about appropriate levels of fl ood protection.

Aims and goals

Long-term aim

To minimise all currently known intolerable fl ooding risks to public health and safety, property and infrastructure and increase community understanding and preparedness for fl oods

10-year goals

• Implement fl ood protection measures to reduce currently known intolerable fl ood risks by 30% by 2018

• Implement a community fl ood awareness and preparation program

• Support the preparation of Municipal Emergency Management Plans to ensure local government and communities have adequate understanding of fl ood risks and are well prepared for fl ood events, and fl ood mitigation actions are co-ordinated with Melbourne Water.

Our responsibilities Melbourne Water is the Floodplain Management Authority for the Port Phillip and Westernport Region. We are responsible for managing drainage systems in catchments generally greater than 60 hectares, and local Councils are responsible for drainage systems in catchments generally less than 60 hectares.

We operate a fl ood-warning network on major rivers and creeks, undertake fl ood risk mapping, maintain drainage and fl ood protection infrastructure, and implement fl ood-risk awareness education programs.

Flood protection is also achieved through the planning and provision of infrastructure to service urban growth and placing conditions on new development (see Managing Urban Growth section for more detail).

Setting our prioritiesIn the past, priorities for addressing existing fl ood risk have been largely based on cost-effectiveness in reducing the risk of damage to property as well as risks to public safety. The recent rates of expenditure on mitigation works are making little impact on the currently identifi ed fl ooding risks and even if it was physically feasible to construct all the required works, it would costs billions of dollars to protect all properties in the region.

Our recently developed Flood Management and Drainage Strategy proposes we alter our approach to the management of fl ood risk to include understanding of the impacts of fl ooding and the concept of intolerable fl ood risk, as well as improved education, awareness and preparedness for fl ooding events.

The strategy contains broad actions that will guide our priorities and expenditures over the next fi ve years. These will ensure we are on track to achieving our long-term aims of minimising all currently known intolerable fl ooding risks to public health and safety, property and infrastructure, and increasing community understanding and preparedness for fl oods.

Existing drainage and fl ood protection infrastructure is managed to ensure that critical assets are always replaced or rehabilitated before they fail, and priority is given to those with high failure consequences.

Current statusMelbourne has a long history of fl ooding. Flooding can be classifi ed into two main types: riverine and overland fl ows.

Riverine fl ooding occurs when water spreads out from a creek or river with large catchments. This form of fl ooding has been recognised in most planning decisions for many years. As a consequence, most of the larger waterways have fl oodplains set aside as open space, such as parks and golf courses to minimise damage costs and threats to public safety.

Overland fl ooding occurs when localised stormwater fl ows from intense rainfall events exceed the capacity of underground drains, and travel overland fi nding the lowest path to the nearest waterway. This type of fl ooding occurs mainly in urban areas developed prior to the 1970s when subdivision drainage standards in Melbourne did not make adequate provision for overland fl ow paths.

There are an estimated 100,000 properties in the region that are at risk of fl ooding in a 1-in-100-year storm. Some 20% of these are at risk of riverine fl ooding which occurs infrequently in response to a major storm event. In contrast, almost every year there is a thunderstorm across the region that causes localised fl ooding affecting a number of the approximately 80,000 properties exposed to overland fl ows.

More than 40,000 properties at risk of fl ooding contain buildings or dwellings that would be at risk of fl ooding above fl oor level. However, fl ood mapping of the whole region is not complete, and the number of affected properties and associated fl ood risks are likely to be higher than this.

Melbourne Water builds, operates and maintains infrastructure to contain, detain and convey stormwater or fl oods. The average annual damage caused by all types of fl ooding in the region has been estimated to be as high as $245 million. There are additional intangible impacts on community health and wellbeing, which are not well understood or quantifi ed. Improvements need to be made to increase awareness and preparedness for fl oods, and response strategies put in place for when fl ooding does occur.

40

Riverine flooding after heavy rains in

February 2005

7.5 Flood Management and Drainage

Programs

Flood mitigation

Building new drainage infrastructure to better protect properties from fl ooding reduces the number of vulnerable properties, but is very expensive and potentially disruptive to the community in existing urban areas. Further work to assess the cost of fl ood damage, both direct (building and contents) and indirect (disruption, trauma, loss of income etc) is required to determine the potential benefi t of expenditure on fl ood mitigation projects.

We will work with councils, the community and other stakeholders to:• identify and understand fl ood risks and

the impact they have on people and property

• develop a program to eliminate or reduce these risks to tolerable levels

• manage residual risks through improved community awareness, planning and preparedness.

Our long-term aim is to minimise all currently known intolerable fl ooding risks to public health and safety, property and infrastructure in the Port Phillip and Westernport region. This target will ensure we are on track to meeting our 10-year goal of reducing 30% of currently known intolerable fl ood risks by 2018.

Performance Target

10% of currently known intolerable fl ood risks will be reduced by 2013.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed by progress towards the 2013 target.

Improving fl ood education, awareness and preparation

A signifi cant gap exists in community awareness of fl ood risks which increases vulnerability and impacts of fl ooding.

Melbourne Water is working with other agencies, such as councils and the Victorian State Emergency Service (VICSES) to contribute to our 10-year goal of developing programs to increase the community’s fl ood awareness and preparation.

Better understanding of how communities are affected by fl ooding will improve the effectiveness of the awareness campaign as well as ensuring that social impacts are considered in priority setting for fl ood mitigation.

Performance Target

A fl ood awareness and preparation program in partnership with the VICSES and councils will be developed and implemented.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed by reference to annual reports on implementation of the program.

Collaboration between fl ood management agencies is essential for co-ordinating fl ood management activities. Melbourne Water is working with councils who have fl ooding issues to develop and review their Municipal Emergency Management Plans. These plans provide a local focus for integrating fl ood planning, prevention, preparedness and response activities.

This will help achieve our 10-year goal to ensure that fl ood mitigation actions are co-ordinated with Melbourne Water, and, when fl ooding does occur, local government and communities have adequate understanding of fl ood risks and are well prepared for fl ood events.

Performance Target

All councils in the Port Phillip and Westernport region will have Flood Management Plans in place by 2013.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed by reference to the number of Flood Management Plans in place each year to 2013.

41

Flood-warning system

The Bureau of Meteorology (the Bureau) has statutory responsibility for issuing fl ood warnings throughout Australia. Melbourne Water operates an on-line, 24-hour a day rainfall and streamfl ow monitoring network to contribute to understanding the hydrologic capabilities of our system’s fl oodplain, drainage, drought and environmental fl ow functions. This data enables us to provide warnings of where and when a fl ood will occur. This work supports one of our 10-year goals of local government and communities being prepared for fl ood events.

When fl ooding occurs, Melbourne Water provides the Bureau with predicted times and areas likely to be fl ooded, so that formal warnings can be issued to relevant agencies and the community.

By agreement with the Bureau, Melbourne Water’s fl ood-warning system relates to the Yarra, Maribyrnong, Plenty, Werribee and Bunyip rivers and the Dandenong, Diamond, Kororoit and Merri creeks.

At these locations, locally determined fl ood levels are set to classify the fl ows as minor, moderate or major. Flood effects above each height refl ect the category of fl ooding. A ‘notifi able event’ is any event during which the level or fl ow for minor fl ooding is likely to be met or exceeded on the above rivers and creeks.

Performance Target

Initial notifi cation and subsequent forecast information will be provided to the Bureau of Meteorology for all notifi able events on stipulated waterways.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on the percentage of notifi able events on stipulated waterways for which accurate initial notifi cation and subsequent updates were provided to the Bureau in a timely manner.

Flood and tidal mapping

Understanding the extent of fl ood risks is necessary to prioritise fl ood mitigation works, fl ood warning and emergency response and recovery programs.

Melbourne will undertake ongoing fl ood extent and tidal mapping for the Port Phillip and Westernport region that takes into account potential long-term pressures on the existing drainage system created by urban consolidation and climate change.

This information is used to establish planning scheme overlays that will ensure appropriate standards of fl ood protection are achieved for new development in fl ood-prone areas. The information also contributes to setting our priorities for our fl ood protection program to enable achievement of our long-term aim and 10-year goal of reducing intolerable fl ooding risks.

Performance Target

A program to undertake local fl ood extent and tidal mapping will be developed and implemented.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on an annual report of progress towards targets and actions.

Strong floodwaters damage the

Darebin Creek footbridge, February 2005.

42

Case study

Sk8park fl ood protection Melbourne Water and the City of Frankston pulled off a gnarly move that drew cheers from local skateboarders with the construction of Australia’s second largest skate park as part of fl ood mitigation measures. And it’s not just skaties who are amped; local residents and Frankston central business district traders and business owners benefi t from improved fl ood protection. Melbourne Water has been investigating the Kananook Creek catchment in Frankston since 2002 in an effort to improve protection for more than 400 buildings at risk of fl ooding above fl oor level. An effective way to reduce fl ood risk is to retard fl oodwaters upstream, allowing time for waters in the lower catchment to drain away.

However fl oodwater retarding basins are created in areas of open space such as parks or sports grounds. And because parks are highly prized community assets, adding fl ood mitigation functions requires extensive community consultation.

Melbourne Water investigations identifi ed creation of a new retarding basin in Samuel Sherlock Reserve as part of a range of fl ood mitigation measures. At about the same time, the City of Frankston applied to Melbourne Water for planning permission to construct a skate park. Collaboration between council offi cers and Melbourne Water resulted in a radical plan to integrate the skate park into the embankment of the proposed Samuel Sherlock Reserve retarding basin.

With a contribution of $142,000 from Melbourne Water the new concrete skating area forms part of the retarding basin embankment, putting Frankston on the map for skate fans right across Australia.

7.5 Flood Management and Drainage

7.5 Flood Management and Drainage

Keeping our built assets in good condition

Melbourne Water manages drainage infrastructure with a replacement value of around $2.7 billion. This includes underground pipes, retarding basins, spillways, levee banks, pump stations, tidal gates, fl oodgates and constructed wetlands. We will maintain and operate these assets to ensure they perform as designed.

There should be no increase in the number of vulnerable properties, or damage done by fl oods as a result of system deterioration or malfunction. Built assets require effective maintenance over the full asset life cycle to remain fully operational and to meet public health, safety and environmental requirements.

The current condition of the system is satisfactory considering age and historical construction methods. Most issues with structural condition relate to the very old brick drains and some concrete drains built before 1960. These are being monitored, refurbished or replaced as required to minimise risk of failure. When assets need to be replaced, they may be upgraded to conform to current standards or to further reduce fl ood risk where this is cost effective.

Performance Target

There will be no instances of asset structural failure that result in signifi cant fl ooding, damage, disruption or personal injury.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on reviewing the details contained in Melbourne Water’s records relating to incident notifi cation and response.

43

7.6 Managing Urban Growth

Photograph above: Residential development

along Kororit Creek at Deer Park.

44

Traditionally urban drainage systems were designed to move stormwater run-off as quickly as possible, and took little account of environmental values, water quality issues, or river health. The challenge Melbourne Water faces is to strike a balance between the need to provide an appropriate safe level of fl ood protection, while providing infrastructure in new growth areas that can protect water quality and the environment and contribute to community wellbeing.

Aims and goals

Long-term aims

• Ensure urban development achieves appropriate standards of fl ood protection, protects waterway health and is sensitive to other environmental and social values of waterways

• Deliver an effi cient service and provide accurate, timely and reliable information to the development industry and community.

10-year goals

• Improve transparency and streamlining and facilitate improved access to information for the development industry, community and other interested parties

• Ensure appropriate standards of fl ood protection and environmental performance are consistently and equitably achieved for all urban development

• Benefi t the local community through the provision of drainage and waterway assets that integrate with the urban infrastructure and open space

• Achieve improved sustainability of urban development by implementing water sensitive urban design and facilitating increased stormwater reuse

• Manage the potential impacts of increasing redevelopment activity on levels of fl ood protection service in established areas of Melbourne

• Find cost-effective strategies for servicing growth that minimize impacts on housing affordability.

Our responsibilitiesMelbourne Water as the regional drainage and fl oodplain authority under the Water Act 1989 and statutory referral authority is responsible for ensuring urban development achieves appropriate standards of fl ood protection, protects waterway health and is sensitive to other environmental and social values of waterways.

Under the Water Act, we have a statutory obligation to provide information in regard to possible limitations of the use of a property due to its proximity to a waterway or drainage infrastructure, or being located within a fl ood risk area. Information is included in property information statements.

We are responsible for preparing strategies and schemes to identify the infrastructure needed to service urban development.

The provision of fl ood information to local councils is also an important aspect of our role as the regional drainage and fl oodplain management authority. This information ensures that appropriate referrals are made from councils when development applications are processed.

Setting our prioritiesInvestment in infrastructure to service growth is determined by the rate of development. Priorities are set out in Melbourne Water’s Development Planning Strategy and Program. The implementation and review of schemes for the provision of infrastructure to service urban development is determined by:

• predictions of population growth

• designation of land for growth in Melbourne 2030

• land re-zoning

• development activity.

The strategy and program takes into consideration the Melbourne 2030 Strategy, Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy on sustainable water use, and the Regional River Health Strategy on managing the impact of urban growth on river health and the Waterways Water Quality Strategy. The Development Planning Strategy and Program also sets out actions to improve our systems and processes to meet our long-term aim of delivering an effi cient service and providing accurate, timely and reliable information to the development industry and community.

Incorporating new fl ood information into local planning schemes and updating property information statements is prioritised by:

• availability of new fl ood mapping information

• the scale and benefi t of individual amendments

• council planning priorities and resource availability.

Current statusMelbourne Water is working on over 160 active strategies and schemes to service urban growth. Since the mid 1990s, we have worked to incorporate higher levels of stormwater treatment and environmental protection in our schemes – now, approximately 25% of the cost of infrastructure in new areas is for protecting waterways and water quality. This has helped maintain water quality over the past 10 years in the face of urban growth.

In 2005/06, some $42 million was invested in new infrastructure to service growth, such as pipelines, wetlands, retarding basins and fl oodways. Most of this infrastructure was funded by developer contributions collected through development services schemes. The Melbourne 2030 Strategy plans to increase development densities in existing urban areas to accommodate the majority of anticipated population growth. New or upgraded infrastructure will be needed to service redevelopment in some areas.

A major program of planning scheme amendments and property information statement updates incorporates the results of extensive fl ood level surveys that began in 1998 and has recently been completed. With updated fl ood risk information provided by Melbourne Water, the retail water companies issue more than 160,000 property information statements each year to the community.

Melbourne Water processes more than 24,000 town planning referrals, applications for development agreements, fl ood level requests and related items of business per year, and all referrals are monitored to ensure they are dealt with within prescribed timeframes. We liaise with land developers, councils, consultants and the community.

An independent review of customer service delivery with councils and developers placed us ahead of comparable agencies and authorities, and found that our delivery of developer services is solid and satisfaction levels are high.

7.6 Managing Urban Growth

45

Case study

Transforming drains into urban creeks brings rewards for community, environment and developers New urban development in Keysborough has transformed unattractive open drains into beautiful urban waterways that improve water quality and provide valuable open space and community connections with their local waterway.

At the heart of this remarkable transformation is Melbourne Water’s Hailebury Development Services Scheme, which brought together the community, council, developers and other stakeholders to discuss urban development within the City of Greater Dandenong.

Melbourne Water produces and reviews Development Services Schemes to manage engineering, environmental and fi nancial aspects of infrastructure to service and to ensure new urban development meets appropriate standards for fl ood protection, water quality, waterway health and amenity.

The Hailebury scheme covered proposed development of 245 hectares of land in Keysborough, in Melbourne’s south-east, and involved wide consultation with local landowners and community groups, council, Aboriginal Affairs Victoria, the Department of Sustainability and Environment and EPA Victoria.

Melbourne Water worked closely with the City of Greater Dandenong and developers to remodel the straight-edge and unattractive Edithvale Road Main Drain and Sheltons Drain West Branch, which cut through the proposed development.

These drains have been transformed into urban waterways; their previously utilitarian straight lines now meander, streamside walking trails and landscaping provide open spaces, and wetlands, retarding basins, litter traps and silt traps, help create habitat, manage fl oods and improve water quality.

The developers and Melbourne Water funded the necessary infrastructure such as pipelines, retarding basins and wetlands. Developers actually received a refund when it was found the development works proved to be cheaper than originally expected.

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7.6 Managing Urban Growth

Programs

Development and redevelopment service schemes

Melbourne Water prepares two types of schemes to service urban growth – development services schemes in greenfi eld areas and redevelopment services schemes in existing urban areas. These ensure that urban development does not adversely affect levels of fl ood protection, river health or stormwater quality.

Development Services Schemes provide the orderly provision of infrastructure in growth areas such as underground drains, overland fl ow paths, retarding basins, wetlands and stormwater treatment measures, and specify the appropriate treatment and protection of rivers and creeks and any related sites of signifi cance. In smaller developments outside of development services schemes, these outcomes are achieved through use of development consent conditions.

Redevelopment Services Schemes ensure that redevelopment in existing urban areas are properly serviced. Infrastructure may need upgrading to ensure increased run-off created by a higher density of development does not reduce existing levels of fl ood protection.

A program of preparing schemes is being implemented to ensure we meet our 10-year goals that:• urban growth is properly serviced• schemes are cost-effective and minimize

impacts on housing affordability • waterway and stormwater assets

integrate with the urban infrastructure and open space

• urban development is sustainable by implementing water sensitive urban design and facilitating increased stormwater reuse.

Implementation of schemes is funded by fi nancial contributions from land developers in accordance with principles agreed with industry and described in the publication Principles for Provision of Waterway and Drainage Services for Urban Growth (Melbourne Water 2007). Consultation with all interested parties such as councils, landowners and agencies, including VicRoads, occurs before works begin.

Performance Target

Development and redevelopment strategies will be prepared, implemented and reviewed according to the development planning program.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed by reference to annual reports on implementation of the program and records of schemes reviewed.

Referrals and implementing fl ood protection standards

Providing ready and obvious access to fl ood-risk information is the most effi cient way of achieving our long-term aim of ensuring urban development achieves appropriate standards of fl ood protection, protects waterway health and is sensitive to other environmental and social values. This information is made available through:

• Victorian Planning Provisions, which contain a land use zone and three overlay controls designed to indicate fl ood-related permit requirements in municipal planning schemes

• Property Information Statements, which are issued on application by the water authorities and contain detailed fl ood risk information, provided by Melbourne Water, for individual properties.

As a statutory referral authority, we will continue to assess planning permit applications to develop land in fl ood-prone areas and place appropriate conditions on development to achieve our 10-year goal of ensuring appropriate standards of fl ood protection and environmental performance are consistently and equitably achieved for all urban development.

In redeveloping areas, we will continue to reduce fl ood risk by requiring fl oor levels of all new or replacement dwellings or commercial premises to be set above the level of local fl ooding.

Performance Target

All new development will comply with fl ood protection standards.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on a random audit of referred permits to ensure appropriate fl ood protection standards have been applied.

Performance Target

Statutory and agreed industry response times will be achieved for all development referrals.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed each year by reference to Melbourne Water’s records of response times for the above transaction types.

Providing updated fl ood information to councils and community

New fl ood risk information in a catchment is generated when:

• previously unmapped waterways and drains are mapped for fl ood risk

• changes occur within the catchment such as development, new infrastructure such as reservoirs, roads or railways

• fl ood mitigation works are implemented.

Understanding current fl ood risk information and the effect developments have on fl oodplains is crucial to good property development planning and decision-making, especially for people contemplating property purchases.

We will continue to input information from fl ood mapping (see Flood Management and Drainage section for more information), asset information and geographic information databases onto a system accessed by retail water companies to ensure this latest information is included on property information statements.

Similarly, new fl ood risk information needs to feed into planning scheme amendments in a timely manner. Once new fl ood information is available, Melbourne Water provides updated fl ood risk information to councils for input into planning schemes.

Performance Target

All fl ood-related property information statement updates will be completed within one month of Melbourne Water receiving notifi cation of a change in the relevant circumstances.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on comparing records of incoming update requirements, such as subdivisions, revised fl ood level data or fl ood mitigation projects, with the records of updates completed.

Performance Target

Councils will be provided with any updated fl ood information for their municipality for inclusion in council planning schemes on an annual basis.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on reviewing annual information provided to councils.

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Making information more accessible

Melbourne Water will continue to liaise widely with councils, land developers and other stakeholders in planning to service urban growth. We will improve transparency and access to scheme information for the development industry, community and other interested parties, in line with our ten-year goal.

To do this, Melbourne Water will work in partnership with the Government and other stakeholders involved in the Victorian planning system to explore opportunities to streamline development referrals and planning control processes. We will also continue to make information available and support ‘self-service’ access to web-based Land Development Manuals to help developers with enquiries and design work.

Performance Target

A plan for improving transparency, streamlining and facilitating improved access to information for the development industry and community will be established and implemented.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed on progress towards this target.

Case study

ATLAS – integrating and improving development responses A computer-based job tracking system helps Melbourne Water to deliver integrated and co-ordinated responses to land development applications and associated queries.

ATLAS was comprehensively updated in November 2006 to help process around 24,000 development applications, information requests and enquiries every year.

Town planning and building permits, requests for feasibility advice, and enquiries about fl ood levels are just some of the transactions processed by ATLAS using a pre-defi ned set of business rules and queries.

The system then identifi es issues of concern and also highlights applications that require input or advice from other teams within Melbourne Water on issues such as river health, asset management and water quality. It co-ordinates responses from all parts of the organisation who advise of development referrals, and automates responses including calculation of developer contributions where applicable.

By providing an integrated response to land development applications, Melbourne Water aims to streamline the approval process and ensure there is a consistent approach to assessing developments in areas of fl ood risk.

Urban development on the Patterson River

48 Photograph above: Macroinvertebrate sampling.

7.7 Monitoring, Investigations and Research

49

Monitoring, investigations and research into rivers, creeks, wetlands, fl oodplains, estuaries and the bays provides information to support our activities and report on progress to Government, stakeholders and the community.

Aims and goals

Long-term aim

To build a comprehensive knowledge base on waterways, drainage and fl oodplains to improve decision making and evaluation of progress.

10-year goals

To undertake monitoring, investigations and research on rivers, creeks, wetlands, fl oodplains, estuaries and bays in order to:

• better understand their condition

• measure progress towards management targets

• identify and understand threatening processes

• improve effectiveness of management activities

• inform Government, community and stakeholders.

Our responsibilitiesAs caretaker of river health and designated waterway manager, we are responsible for water quality monitoring throughout the Port Phillip and Westernport region. This function is performed through an agreement with EPA Victoria.

We are responsible for implementing monitoring, investigations and research priorities ascribed to Melbourne Water in a range of policies and strategies, such as the Regional River Health Strategy, State environment protection policies, Yarra River Action Plan, Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy, Waterways Water Quality Strategy and Flood Management and Drainage Strategy.

Monitoring, investigations and research provides information necessary for Melbourne Water to make decisions and manage a broad range of issues associated with our role as waterway, drainage and fl oodplain manager.

Monitoring provides data about the condition of waterways and other assets. Melbourne Water has an extensive network of monitoring sites across the region. Real-time rainfall and stream fl ow monitoring data helps support our role as fl oodplain manager and provides timely fl ood warnings.

Targeted investigations and research programs increase our knowledge and understanding of waterways, fl oodplain and drainage management, and help ensure that on-ground works such as waterway rehabilitation or water sensitive urban design are delivering desired results.

By undertaking monitoring, investigations and research in a co-ordinated fashion that responds to priorities set out in policies and strategies, Melbourne Water has access to accurate data necessary to meet regional waterways, fl oodplain and drainage responsibilities and deliver long-term improvements.

Setting our prioritiesOur priorities are guided by our long-term aim, which is to build a comprehensive knowledge base to improve decision-making and evaluation of progress. They are based on responsibilities assigned to Melbourne Water in the range of State, regional and Melbourne Water strategies and plans, outlined previously.

These strategies contain broad priorities that are translated into program of works via an annual consultative workshop with Melbourne Water people and external stakeholders. We also ensure they conform to the Research and Development Management and Approval Process, and align with Melbourne Water’s strategic framework. Programs are selected based on criteria that include:

• gaps in our knowledge

• waterways or key species that are priority areas in strategies

• emerging threats

• programs that meet multi-business needs

• programs that are considered urgent for environmental, social, economic or political reasons

• programs that support development of improved management techniques – such as weeds, water sensitive urban design, habitat improvement.

Requests from EPA Victoria for Melbourne Water to undertake specifi c investigation on its behalf are also given priority in expenditure.

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7.7 Monitoring, Investigations and Research

Current status Over the past 30 years, Melbourne Water has developed a network of river health monitoring sites. This program has been through a number of recent reviews and updated recently in response to the Regional River Health Strategy, Yarra River Action Plan and Better Bays and Waterways plan. Monitoring has now improved with the introduction of additional monitoring sites, bringing the total to over 130 across the Port Phillip and Westernport region, and expansion of the E.coli monitoring program.

Research and investigation programs have continued to evolve in response to new knowledge gaps and acknowledgement of future challenges. Research has now expanded through partnerships with eWater Cooperative Research Centre that allows us to capture new challenges, such as climate change.

Our programs have also improved through an increased focus on assessing the effect of management actions and improved communication of results, with the introduction of the ‘Our Yarra’ website.

ProgramsTo ensure we meet our 10-year goals, we are undertaking the following programs of activities over the next fi ve years.

Monitoring and investigations

We will continue to undertake a range of monitoring and investigations to understand the condition of our rivers and creeks. This information detects changes over time, and delivers information that is the basis for management decisions and tracking progress towards meeting management targets.

We have an extensive monitoring network. Monitoring and investigations programs include water quality, streamfl ows, aquatic life, fi sh, mosquitos, threatened and fl agship species, weeds, sediments, litter, physical stream condition, and faecal contamination.

More detailed investigations on priority rivers identifi ed in the Regional River Health Strategy will be undertaken to assess ecological health and identify local sources of pollution, and inform rehabilitation programs.

Performance Target

A program of monitoring and investigation programs on river health, environmental and recreational water quality and fl ood management will be implemented.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on an annual report of progress towards targets and actions.

We will continue to monitor rainfall and streamfl ow data at 180 sites in the Port Phillip and Westernport region and collect daily rainfall observations from 360 volunteer rain gauge operators. This data supports a range of uses including:

• preparation of fl ood warnings

• estimation of storm recurrence intervals and fl ood fl ow modelling

• preparation of streamfl ow management plans, and monitoring and reporting environmental fl ows and Environmental Water Reserve compliance

• managing river and creek diversions and drought response

• input into reporting the Index of River Condition for rivers and creeks.

Data collected on an hourly, daily, weekly and monthly basis is accessible on Melbourne Water’s website. Detailed hydrographic data, including historical records, are made available to external parties on a fee for service basis.

Performance Target

95% of telemetered data achieves Quality Code of “1” within 30 days of collection, and all external requests for data will be met within 10 working days.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on records of the quality of telemetric data and response times for data collection and external requests.

Research

We will continue to undertake collaborative research to improve our knowledge base to meet our 10-year goal of improving the effectiveness of management activities. An important part of the program is ongoing partnerships with the eWater Cooperative Research Centre, University of Melbourne (including the Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research) Monash University (including the Institute of Sustainable Water Resources), CSIRO and the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management.

A broad range of programs will carried out over the next fi ve years, including collaborative research into likely impacts of climate change on waterway, drainage and fl oodplain management, the impacts of urbanisation on stream ecology, and methods of urban stormwater treatment. This is complemented by a range of specifi c projects outlined in this section.

Performance Target

A program of research into river health, environmental and recreational water quality and fl ood management will be implemented.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on an annual report of progress towards targets and actions.

Our marine environments are highly valued by our communities. Estuaries play an important role as a link between freshwater and marine systems, and possess high ecological, social and recreational values.

As caretaker of river health, Melbourne Water recognises the need for an increased focus on the link between catchment, input drains, streams and the estuarine and marine receiving environment.

The 1996 Port Phillip Bay Environmental Study had a signifi cant impact on management programs and targets for Port Phillip Bay. A similar study is required for Western Port and our major estuaries to gather necessary data to make effective management decisions.

Performance Target

Melbourne Water will help initiate and implement a Western Port environmental study.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on an annual statement of progress.

51

Considerable work has been undertaken by Melbourne Water to improve understanding of the environmental aspects of waterways. We are now placing an increased focus on understanding social aspects associated with waterways and our programs.

Melbourne Water’s Flood Management and Drainage Strategy identifi es a need for research into the social impacts of fl ooding. This research would assess the effectiveness of fl ood awareness activities, defi ne tolerable and intolerable fl ood risks, and possible willingness to pay for mitigation measures.

Performance Target

A program of social research on the intangible impacts of fl ooding will be developed and implemented.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on an annual report of progress towards targets and actions.

Understanding threats

River health programs are designed to tackle the most signifi cant threats to river health. Toxicants have been found to pose a major threat to river health. However, improved knowledge on the sources of toxicants and their effect on aquatic life is required to improve management.

Heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons are common pollutants in waterways and bays that receive runoff from urban areas and roads. This form of pollution affects a substantial proportion of ecosystems in urban streams and wetlands, and accumulates in sediments and aquatic organisms.

Melbourne Water will develop and implement a program to better understand the signifi cant contributing land uses of herbicides and pesticides, whether aquatic ecosystems are being stressed by these chemicals, and to identify specifi c chemicals of concern so that management responses may be implemented.

Performance Target

A monitoring program for pesticides, herbicides, metals and hydrocarbons will be implemented.

Measurement

Performance assessment will be based on an annual statement of progress against the program’s aims and objectives.

Our rivers are popular with kayakers, rowers, cyclists, walkers and fi shers. Little is known of threats to the recreational values of our waterways.

The major focus over the next fi ve years will be on working in partnership with EPA Victoria and the Department of Human Services to improve understanding of public health risks associated with river water quality. A range of programs will be undertaken to improve our understanding.

We will establish regular monitoring of contaminants in fi sh from Melbourne’s freshwater and estuarine waters to improve our understanding of levels of chemical residues in fi sh, and any restrictions on the suitability of fi sh for human consumption.

We will extend the YarraWatch network of faecal monitoring sites to other areas in the region with high recreational values, and improve techniques for tracking sources of faecal contamination.

More detailed investigations into rivers that support a range of recreational activities, such as the lower Yarra, will develop an understanding of managing public health risks associated with recreation use of waterways.

Performance Target

Risks to public health associated with the recreational use of waterways will be assessed.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed on progress towards targets in the Regional River Health Strategy and Waterways Water Quality Strategy.

Fish surveying along Stony Creek

52

Tracking platypus along Cardinia Creek

with the Australian Platypus Conservancy

7.7 Monitoring, Investigations and Research

Improving effectiveness of our management activities

Gathering new knowledge from monitoring, investigations and research is essential for effective waterway management activities.

The Yarra River was one of eight rivers granted an Environmental Water Reserve in the Central Region Sustainable Water Strategy (see Managing Environmental Flows section for more detail). We will establish a Yarra River trial monitoring program in conjunction with EPA Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and Environment. The program will measure changes in environmental fl ow indicators resulting from improved environmental fl ows. Over the next fi ve years, this monitoring program will be rolled out to other rivers in the region that have been allocated an Environmental Water Reserve.

Melbourne Water has invested signifi cantly in improving river condition as measured by the Index of River Condition (see Managing Waterways section for more information). To ensure these actions are delivering their desired improvements, and to help support our review of the Regional River Health Strategy within the next fi ve years, a new monitoring and research program will provide feedback on improvements to waterway condition that result from specifi c stream-work projects.

By tracking changes to riparian and channel characteristics before and several years after works, the program aims to determine the extent of stream condition improvement, any obstacles to improvements and management responses required to meet our 10-year targets of 50% of rivers being in good or excellent condition.

Performance Target

Five sites will be assessed for effectiveness of rehabilitation works each year.

Measurement

Performance will be assessed on completion of collection of agreed Index of River Condition metrics at fi ve stream works sites each year.

Informing government, community and stakeholders

Sharing knowledge and fi ndings of our monitoring, investigations and research informs Government, community and other stakeholders, builds capacity and encourages involvement to work towards meeting goals. Market research has shown that the community is eager for knowledge about their local rivers and creeks.

Activities to communicate our work will be delivered through the Waterways Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Framework (see Community and Stakeholder Engagement and Involvement section for more information).

At Melbourne Water day at Museum Victoria,

children can have a close look at water creatures.

53

Case study

Improving our knowledge of toxicants The last 30 years have seen signifi cant improvement in water quality in the Yarra and Maribyrnong estuaries, encouraging increased community activities such as fi shing and boating. Increased community involvement has resulted in greater awareness of possible contamination of water, sediment and biota in the Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers, due to a long history of industrial development along these waterways.

More recently the community has sought additional information about whether fi sh caught from the lower reaches of these waterways are suitable for human consumption.

Following on from a preliminary study undertaken by Melbourne Water and EPA Victoria in 2005, a more detailed study in 2006 focusing on fi sh, including eels, caught in the Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers estuary was collaboratively undertaken by EPA Victoria, Melbourne Water and the Port of Melbourne Authority. The aim of the study was to provide the community with better information about contaminant concentrations in recreationally caught fi sh.

Bream, mulloway, mullet and eels collected from the Yarra and Maribyrnong estuaries were tested for a wide range of organic contaminants and heavy metals.

An expert panel of specialist public health toxicologists, food standards experts, environmental chemists and fi sheries biologists assessed the data and the Department of Human Services confi rmed previous advice limiting regular consumption of fi sh and eels caught in these estuaries.

Future Melbourne Water research and investigations will identify major sources and types of contaminants, and ongoing monitoring will highlight toxicant changes in sediments and fi sh over time to assess the success of management action.

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8 Evaluation, Reporting and Review

This Operating Charter establishes a blueprint for Melbourne Water’s management of waterways, drainage and fl oodplains for the fi ve-year life of Melbourne Water’s Water Plan (2008/09 to 20012/13).

The Board of Melbourne Water is accountable for our commitments to the aims and targets presented in this Operating Charter. To ensure we meet our commitments, the Board receives regular progress reports.

In addition, we are committed to undertaking an annual report of performance against the commitments set out in this Charter. This is carried out by an independent auditor at the end of each fi nancial year, and the results are published on Melbourne Water’s website. Detailed records and compliance audit fi ndings are subject to an annual overview by the Waterways Advisory Committee.

The Essential Services Commission regulates Melbourne Water, including the prices we charge for our rivers and drainage services. It also monitors our service commitments against targets detailed in our Water Plan. These targets are consistent with those represented in this Operating Charter. Melbourne Water’s Water Plan will be reviewed again in 2013 to ensure funds are committed to, and spent on, priority projects.

We report and evaluate our performance against the Port Phillip & Westernport Regional Catchment Strategy and Regional River Health Strategy every year, to the Board of Melbourne Water and the Department of Sustainability and Environment.

We also produce a community and stakeholder report each year which sets out our achievements and progress towards Operating Charter targets, highlights people, programs, and on-ground works, and recognises the efforts of volunteers and other stakeholders in meeting those targets.

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Appendix – Regulatory and Legislative Framework

The Water Industry Act 1994 requires Melbourne Water to have a Statement of Obligations, which in turn requires the development and implementation of an Operating Charter that sets out responsibilities, goals and programs.

The Our Water Our Future action plan (released in June 2004 and formally gazetted in November 2005) extended Melbourne Water’s waterway management boundary by almost 5000 square kilometres to cover the whole Port Phillip and Westernport region. It assigns Melbourne Water as the authority responsible for waterway, regional drainage and fl oodplain management, as well as being the caretaker of river health.

The Water Act 1989, in particular Part 6 Division 2, and Part 10, Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 4 gives Melbourne Water the authority to manage waterways, regional drainage and fl oodplain management services. The Act describes the powers, functions, rights and responsibilities of Melbourne Water, and defi nes the area in which we operate.

Melbourne Water also has specifi c delegated Ministerial functions under the Water Act, including diversion management and licensing of works by others on waterways.

The Planning and Environment Act 1987 (clause 55), requires planning permit applications to subdivide land or to develop fl ood prone land to be referred to Melbourne Water.

The Environment Protection Act 1970 provides principles for environmental protection, State Environment Protection Policies, industrial waste policies, scheduling premises, licensing and/or works approvals. These instruments impose various conditions, objectives, improvement actions and monitoring for compliance that are relevant to waterway management including water quality and environmental fl ows.

At a Commonwealth level, relevant obligations under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 relate to matters of national signifi cance including lists of species, communities requiring protection and processes that threaten fl ora/fauna.

Melbourne Water 100 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne PO Box 4342 Melbourne Victoria 3001Telephone 131 722 Facsimile 03 9235 7200

melbournewater.com.au

Published June 2009.

ISBN 978-1-921603-37-2 (print)ISBN 978-1-921603-38-9 (web)

© Copyright July 2009 Melbourne Water.All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, photocopied or otherwise dealt with without the prior written permission.

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