river health
Stormwater pollution
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What causes pollution in our rivers and creeks?
Stormwater pollution is the major polluter of our rivers and creeks. About 500 billion litres of water containing contaminants and litter are washed down the drains into our rivers and creeks everywhere.
Litter, oil from roads, animal and bird droppings, sewage from leaking sewers, overflows, illegal connections and septic tanks, and other pollutants are all carried in stormwater.
Everyone must remember: What you put in the gutters and on our streets - whether it's grass clippings after mowing the lawn, oil from your car or dog poo washed off the streets - ends up in our rivers and creeks along with the rainwater.
How clean are Melbourne’s rivers and creeks today?
The Port Phillip and Westernport area is home to almost four million people. By 2030, it is expected that there will an extra one million people in the region. This poses a challenge for us to protect the health of our rivers and creeks as the lands around them will change significantly.
Recent studies show that in the Port Phillip and Westernport area:
- 25 percent of rivers and creeks are in good or excellent condition,
- 30 percent are in moderate condition, and
- 45 percent are in poor or very poor condition.
These results reflect the major land use patterns.
The rivers and creeks located in mountainous, forested areas (much of which is protected for water supply purposes) are in excellent to good condition. However, conditions deteriorates gradually downstream, as rivers and creeks travel past farms, market gardens, towns and cities. Extracting water for farms and market gardens have also contributed to changed flows in many rivers and creeks.
Most significant threats to river and creek health
- Stormwater pollution
- Changes in land use
- Loss of vegetation
- Flow changes
- Poor water quality
- Bed and bank erosion
- Fish barriers
- Invasion by weeds
- Introduced fish