Healthy Waterways Strategy

10 August 2017

The Story So Far…

"Passive hope is about waiting for external agencies to bring about what we desire. Active hope is about becoming active participants in bringing about what we hope for," says ecophilosopher Joanna Macy.

Where are we…

3

The Visionaries: Thank you: Ian, Nigel, Ben, Helen, Damien, Jane, Judy,

David, Stephen…

Waterway

values

Where are we…

4

Where are we…

5

Where are we…

6

Some successes…

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Some successes…

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90% of participants made new

connections in the first two workshops

60% have started applying new ideas and connections to their current work

Objectives of today

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• What are actions and targets

• Establish a process for working through this

• Start this process by identifying opportunities and actions we can undertake to meet the goals

How to begin?

10

Today:

Visionaries – the vision and goals

Dr Chris Walsh:

• Understanding key threats – climate change and urbanisation

• Model supports

A proposed process

• What actions and opportunities can you support?

• How do you want to be involved

Priorities for what?

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?

Goals and Vision 21%

Processes and planning for

waterways 21%

Targets and action

53%

The Visionaries

The Visionaries

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Vision

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A Maribyrnong catchment whose ecological health has significantly improved since 2018. It is accessible, sensitively used and valued by the community. Its collaborative management reflects the contributions of Traditional Owners and the broader community.

Environmental Goals

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Management is helping create a preferred future for the Maribyrnong’s environments by assisting species and habitats to change, adapt, move or be replaced as the catchment and climate change.

The Maribyrnong River and its tributaries are important bio-links – corridors of secure, high quality habitats that allow plants and animals to move and adapt to changes in catchment conditions and climate.

Water quality and flows provide for healthy and diverse populations of plants and animals.

Stormwater is managed to enhance rather than destroy waterway health.

Social Goals

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Waterways across the Maribyrnong are places that provide continuous, connected and accessible open spaces for public enjoyment.

Swimming / recreation is possible in the Upper and Middle reaches (Brimbank and above).

Education Goals

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Public authorities, community groups and hundreds of individuals across the catchment share their knowledge of the Maribyrnong and take regular action to help pursue this strategy’s goals.

Education programs are resourced and coordinated across many organisations that are working or involved within the catchment.

Decision making and action

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Long-term monitoring supports adaptive management by tracking progress towards this strategy’s goals.

Urban planning decisions make explicit reference to their potential impacts on waterway environments. The Planning and Environment Act includes overlays to protect the river, its tributaries, floodplains and escarpments. Effects of planning decisions are monitored to support evaluation and learning.

Melbourne Water is seen by all parties to the strategy as a successful facilitator, enabler, coordinator and leader.

Targets and Action…

What are targets

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The Healthy Waterways Strategy will need to set 20 year and long term targets for:

Key Values and

Environmental Condition

These will be set for each of the 14 Sub-Catchments in the region (at a minimum).

There are two sub-catchment in the Maribyrnong Catchment – the upper and lower Maribyrnong.

Targets and actions

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Goals

Vision A Maribyrnong catchment whose ecological health has significantly improved since 2018…

Water quality and flows provide for healthy and diverse populations of plants and animals.

Riparian Vegetation in Upper Maribyrnong is currently in moderate condition. Works over the next 10-20 years aim to increase this to High

Removing Stock access Re-vegetation and weed control

Platypus in the Upper Maribyrnong is are considered by be very vulnerable. Works over the next 20 years aim to stabilise the population and allow for long-term improvements. This aims to move the target from very low to moderate in the long term.

Possible process

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Workshop 4 (Today)

Opportunities and actions

which align with goals

Strategy Development

Environmental values

(Melbourne Water lead)

Workshop 5

Consider trade-off and process

for agreeing actions and

targets

Workshop 6

Agree process to finalise draft

Strategy

Strategy Development

Social Values

(Working Group?)

Mid / late October

6-10 week period

Strategy Development:

Integration and Collaborative effort

(Working Group?)

Mid Sept / Early Oct

After the break…

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• You might consider what the goals mean to you and…

• What actions and opportunities would you like considered when working towards the goals?

• What is working well?

• What do you want to see more of?

• Specifics: timing, location, cost etc. Contacts?

(not seeking commitment or being constrained by budget)

How would this occur…

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Scenario Development

Key Environmental values

(Melbourne Water lead)

A set of possible scenarios which allows trade-off

considerations

Suite of opportunities and possible

actions

Collaboration in action…

City of Kingston masterplanning and in lieu contributions mechanism

$ collected through opt-in in-lieu contributions

Council puts $ towards construction of stormwater quality treatment projects

Partnership from masterplanning to development and evaluation of mechanism

Targeting multi-unit residential developments

Collaboration in action…

Will provide treated stormwater for irrigation of several separately managed sportsgrounds

• Reduces use of drinking water for irrigation

• Reduces pollutants entering the Yarra River

• Reduces water harvested from the Yarra River

• Mitigates some existing flooding issues

Project is adjacent to the Bolin Bolin Billabong, which is significant to Wurundjeri people

Bolin Bolin stormwater harvesting, treatment and reuse Partnership between City of Boroondara, City of Manningham, Carey Grammar School, Melbourne Water, DELWP and the Federal Government

Thank you