Upper brOdrIbb rIver WAterwAtCh vICtOrIA rEGIOnS COnnECtInG the COMMunItY Mallee North Central North Wimmera Goulburn East Brodribb River Waterwatch Site Broken Snowy River Errinundra East Gippsland National Park National Park Glenelg Melbourne Hopkins West Corangamite Gippsland Brodribb River Orbost Locals from a small town long term health is important to our Waterwatch supporters in far east Victoria say community, as many people use it to supplement drinking water supplies.” the local river is helping communities make Water quality data collected regularly Photo: Tom Crook environmental connections. by Shelly helps the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority Waterwatch Victoria has successfully Waterwatch Victoria engages with volunteers and Shelly McLaren from Goongerah, a small monitor trends in the health of the river. engaged people with their local rivers for connects Victorians with their local waterways. This and isolated community near Orbost, Where results are unexpected, perhaps important relationship is made possible through the 20 years, raising awareness about river said the river connected the people. indicating a change in the quality of the support and investment of sponsors across Victoria. water, further testing can be done. health and waterway management. Their backing goes towards providing capable “It’s a beautiful place to live and the regional coordinators who maintain the volunteer river which flows through our valley Alongside monthly data collected at Waterwatch aims to give the community better program through training, material support and really does connect our community.” approximately 1066 sites across Victoria, knowledge about water issues and to encourage local Waterwatch events. Shelly’s Waterwatch data is made water quality monitoring groups to undertake Shelly has been a Waterwatch volunteer publically available online through the constructive action. Volunteers with a passion for Since 1993, Waterwatch Victoria has seen 3,314 since 2008, joining through her local Waterwatch Victoria Data Management the environment provide water quality data from volunteers visit 6,564 sites. This is an astounding Photo: Tom Crook Landcare group which continues to help System. maintain the high environmental quality waterways across Victoria. The data is used to total of 116,913 site visits, providing valuable long- of the nearby riparian (streamside) “Environmental health is a high monitor waterways to establish their condition and term data about the health of our waterways. Interesting Facts area. She currently undertakes regular priority for our community and with to assess whether change (positive or negative) is monitoring of the upper Brodribb increasing eco-tourism our local occurring. In 2014, Waterwatch Victoria has 606 volunteer With an average of 5 River in the Snowy River catchment. environment’s condition is important monitors collecting water quality data at 1066 In 2013, Waterwatch Victoria celebrated its 20-year parameters tested at each Waterwatch volunteers monitor the to the local economy. River health is a sites. Waterwatch Victoria data is available to the anniversary and the significant contribution of all site visit, over 45,000 water river’s condition as it flows from the key component of this and Waterwatch public via the online Waterwatch Victoria Data helps us to be sure that the water volunteer monitors who have taken part in the quality measurements Errinundra National Park through the Management System, on the Waterwatch website is actually as clean and healthy as it program since its inception. Captured in this report have been taken by the local camp ground. vic.waterwatch.org.au. looks.” are the faces and stories of some of these volunteers. Waterwatch program in East “The river water is clean enough to To read more about the achievements of Waterwatch in Victoria, visit www.vic.waterwatch.org.au or contact the The Waterwatch Victoria program thanks the many Gippsland. drink,” Shelly said. Active Sites: 98 | Active Monitors: 23 Waterwatch Victoria coordinator at Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, energetic, talented and committed people from rural www.egcma.com.au 64 Dennis Street, Colac, 3250, T: 03 5232 9100, E: [email protected]. The East Gippsland “Collecting real time water quality and urban communities, who together have offered Waterwatch Program has information using the Waterwatch Photographs and text sourced with permission from participating Waterwatch programs and their host organisations. their assistance to this program. volunteer monitors more equipment and monitoring the river’s than 200km apart (measured www.vic.waterwatch.org.au in a straight line). MOnItOrInG In thE dEdICAted WAterwAtCh 1992 1996 Waterwatch volunteers rAISING COMMUnItY The first meeting of 2011 GEllIbrAnd CAtChment ChAmpIOnS representatives from Waterwatch Victoria Data make a difference AWArEnESS community based Management System was Otway-district Waterwatch Creightons Creek Waterwatch monitoring programs launched, making years of A North Central Victoria Wangaratta district volunteers monitors are keen to help local Group is setting the standard in Pre 1992 across Australia, to Significant increase in Waterwatch data available to the Waterwatch group enjoy in the North East Waterwatch environment agencies. Waterwatch monitoring. develop a national 2008 Community federal funding for the public online. participating and discovering network are dedicated to raising The group, made up of members based monitoring approach, was convened The volunteers monitor along the The turbidity tube was Waterwatch program. new ways to care for their local awareness of waterway health. of the Creightons Creek Landcare programs existed in Cobram, Victoria. waterway. Gellibrand River in the Otways in developed. 2000 Waterwatch Victoria volunteers Volunteer Diane Farmer south-west Victoria, a waterway Group, began monitoring in across Australia: Waterwatch Victoria collected data for the third Strategic Review of the Waterwatch 2003 after a chat with their local Ribbons of Blue, Prime Minister Paul website was developed. Anne from Castlemaine said regular participates in the Waterwatch that stretches from Beech Forest, 1998 Victorian Data Confidence Guidelines identified statewide Index of Stream Victoria Program. Landcare Facilitator prompted Streamwatch, Keating’s Statement testing of water quality in the creek program to help understand and 120km to the ocean at Princetown. 1994 minimum data confidence standards for a range of Condition (ISC3) assessment. members to get involved in Waterwatch. Saltwatch and on the Environment was one way for them to monitor promote waterway health issues. allocated $2.9 million monitoring purposes. the impact of the restoration work of the local Landcare groups. Two community volunteers and pupils from the Carlisle River Frogwatch. Waterwatch Victoria “Water is our most precious resource and it is up to all of us to Now around 10 passionate, well organised and dedicated over 3 years to establish Primary School monitor the water quality of the Carlisle River which launched the program Glenelg Hopkins Waterwatch Program began. With her fellow Landcare group members, Anne enjoys appreciate it, recycle it, not waste it and to do our bit to take care volunteers make up the water monitoring group, setting a a national community flows into the Gellibrand River. and a manual, prompting 2009 participating in the Waterwatch program to learn more about of it,” she said. fantastic example for others. water quality monitoring Agreed Level Taxonomy (ALT) significant expansion water quality, managing local waterways and discovering ways to One of those community members, David Skipworth, said he hoped The group monitors sixteen sites and leader, John Nielsen, program. method of assessing aquatic Leading by example, Diane and other volunteers have used the across the state. take action to improve waterway health. Through her involvement his work helped the catchment management authority in their coordinates monthly group sample collections and performs Closure of the national macro-invertebrates was launched. data collected through the Waterwatch program to educate the National Water Week 2001 with Waterwatch, Anne has a sense of belonging to her local records and research for the future of the river and adjacent areas. field tests on the samples, forwarding the results to Waterwatch Across Victoria, at places Corangamite Waterwatch Catch a Carp days were Waterwatch office in It uses features that are visible community about local water quality issues. began in 1993 and has community. coordinators and driving more than an hour each way to deliver such as Melbourne’s Program began. developed as part of Australia. to the naked eye, as well as Nearby, ten community volunteers, most from the Princetown been used across the Establishment of the adapted and simplified SIGNAL ‘Stream 2006 The network hosts events such as the Wangaratta carp muster Merri Creek and National Water Week colour and movement, to identify Landcare group, monitor the health of the Gellibrand River, phosphorus samples to the lab for analysis. State as an opportunity to Cathy from Baringhup also likes feeling connected to her community Ballarat’s Yarrowee River, Invertebrate Grade Number – Average Level’ scoring system for creatures to mixed taxonomic known as ‘Let’s Go Fishin’’ and Waterwatch monitoring sessions to North Central Waterwatch and are still a popular EstuaryWatch began and local