Environmental Flow Program
How humans can affect natural river flows
The natural flow of a river or creek is affected when water is removed or diverted for human use such as for irrigation, industry or domestic purposes.
In Victoria, there are guidelines on the amount of water that can be removed from rivers and creeks for human consumption.
The Victorian Government has also developed laws to make sure that a certain amount of water is legally reserved for the environment to protect the natural flow of our river systems.
What does Melbourne Water do to manage river flows?
Melbourne Water carries out investigations to determine what the needs of particular rivers and creeks are in the Port Phillip and Westernport region.
Based on these studies we can work out the volume, timing and quality of water that is needed for a river or creek to stay healthy.
These studies, together with discussions with communities about their water needs, are taken into consideration when we set guidelines on the amount of water that can be diverted for human use.
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