Better Bays and Waterways Plan
Better Bays and Waterways is a five year plan (2009 to 2014) which outlines actions for improving water quality in the Port Phillip and Western Port region.
- About the plan
- Port Phillip and Westernport region quick facts
- Water quality in the region
- Community involvement
- Implementation of the plan
About the plan
In 2005 Melbourne Water and EPA Victoria were provided with Australian government funding to develop a water quality improvement plan for the Port Phillip and Western Port region.
What followed was the development of Better Bays and Waterways, a five year plan that contains 93 actions within a series of management programs. The plan is supported by sophisticated predictive catchment and receiving waters modelling to forecast the potential impacts of climate and land use change.
The subsequent actions and programs focus on addressing the challenges of:
- water pollution
- localised impacts
- urban growth
- climate change
The actions aim to reduce the impacts of human activities on water quality, and collectively address the impacts of nutrients (mainly nitrogen) on Port Phillip Bay and sediment on Western Port.
The plan identifies priority areas for future action, and direction for agencies, communities and industry groups working to improve water quality in rivers, creeks and bays throughout the region. It also provides for improved protection of Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries, Ramsar listed wetlands, and key habitats that support important local ecology.
Download the plan:
Port Phillip and Westernport region quick facts
Population = 4.3 million people
The region's waterways:
- supply water for drinking, agriculture and industry
- support a wide range of animals, plants and fish
- provide a place for community recreation
- are threatened by increasing pollution from land based activities including urban and rural development, agriculture practices and industries.
Did you know?
- Excessive nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) can cause vigorous growth of algae, which leads to reduced oxygen levels in the water. Algal blooms threaten animals, plants and fish living in our waterways.
- One of the most common sources of nutrients in our waterways is from urban and rural stormwater.
- Stormwater can carry a range of pollutants including sediments, nutrients, toxicants, chemicals, litter and pathogens.
- 95% of the litter on beaches comes from suburban streets through the stormwater system.
- Cigarette butts make up about one third of the one billion items of litter finding its way into Melbourne's waterways each year.
Water quality in the region
Over the past few decades, the rivers, creeks and bays of the Port Phillip and Western Port region have greatly benefitted from legislation such as the Environment Protection Act 1970 and associated statutory policies, which have required industrial waste to be treated through the sewerage system, rather than being emptied directly into rivers and creeks.
Other improvements since then have included the connection of many of Melbourne's outer suburbs and rural areas to the sewerage system, a range of Environmental Management Plans, and significant investment in on-ground works.
However, the region’s waterways and bays are still threatened by pollution, urban expansion and climate change. To address the current and emerging factors threatening the region’s water quality, we have developed this comprehensive plan.
More information:
Community involvement
A Stakeholder Advisory Group was established to provide opportunities for wider community input into development of the plan.
The group discussed priority issues and threats, and examined projects including urban stormwater management, pollution monitoring and agricultural land management practices.
Members were chosen for their ability to represent the people and organisations with an interest in, or impact on, water quality in the region.
Implementation of the plan
A committee will be established to oversee the implementation of Better Bays and Waterways. It will comprise key agencies, departments and local governments involved in water quality improvements to ensure the approach to managing water quality issues in the region is informed, coordinated and adaptive.
Implementation of actions in the plan has started with a number of key programs well under way. A report documenting progress of the plan’s implementation is now available for download.
Download the implementation update:
Downloads
- Better Bays and Waterways - 2008-2010 Implementation Report (PDF, 1.1mb)
- Better Bays and Waterways Plan (PDF, 5mb)
- Better Bays and Waterways Plan - Appendices (PDF, 609kb)
You will need Adobe Acrobat to access the above PDF documents. 