Go Yarra Flow
When the eyes of the world turned to Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games in March 2006, the Yarra River was its main star.
Fireworks shot colour across a twighlight sky from the corrugated metal fins of 72 amazing fish sculptures that floated on the water near Federation Square. Thousands of people watched. It was a moment to be proud of.
But for years, the Yarra River has been allowed to suffer.
The Yarra River provides us with some of the best drinking water in the world. In an average year, 70 percent of Melbourne’s freshwater supplies are sourced from its upper reaches. And we don’t just drink its water. We use it to flush our toilets and irrigate our farms. Some 400 billion litres of water are taken every year from the Yarra to meet our needs – in most years that’s well over half the river’s water.
Taking out so much water has left the river high and dry, with its health under increasing stress from overuse. Right now, despite the recent rains, the Yarra’s flow is only a fraction of its natural level – threatening the birds, fish, frogs and platypus that make the river their home.
Go Yarra Flow!
Together with our colleagues at the Yarra Riverkeeper Association (ykra), we’ve campaigned to send a strong message to the Victorian Government that the people of Melbourne value a healthy Yarra River. We were particularly busy during 2007-9, when we urged the government to:
- Honour their commitment to deliver life-giving environmental flows to the Yarra River
- Commit to making Melbourne a water-sensitive city by adopting the recommendations outlined in our vision for Melbourne’s water future.
We visited politicians, wrote articles and letters, and asked for the minimum flows that a 2005 study showed the Yarra needed to sustain its health.
But for a while, things only got worse. The 17 GL (billion litres) Environmental Entitlement created for the Yarra River by the Bracks government in 2006 is yet to be delivered. It was qualified the very next year, and the Yarra’s legal share of its own water was redirected for use in Melbourne’s homes and industry.. Historical minimum passing flows were also reduced in order to meet consumer water demands. (Passing flows are releases made from storages to maintain riparian vegetation, habitat and other environmental values, and to provide for other community benefits.)
It wasn’t until 2010 that this long–promised water was made available to the Yarra. In July the state government announced that 10GL of water would be returned to the river each year. This was a good start.
In August 2010, when water restrictions were eased, we were critical of the decision. Surely, we argued, the Yarra should get its fair share of water, before we can begin to wash our cars and water lawns. Then in October, a further 7GL and the passing flows were returned to the Yarra.
While the Environmental Entitlement of 17GL will provide significant benefit to the river, it is only enough to provide the minimum flows the river needs, and natural flows are still required to keep the river connected to its floodplain.
Environment Victoria is now working with the environmental manager (Melbourne Water) and stakeholders to determine how this 17GL entitlement can best be delivered to the Yarra, to protect and restore the values of the river that we all love and appreciate.
Sandridge beach given thumbs down today
Friday, 30 December 2011
Tom Arup, The Age
Sandridge beach at Port Melbourne will be declared off limits for swimming today after the Environment Protection Authority forecast its water quality to be ''unacceptable...
moreWater restrictions eased to stage one
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Alison Savage, 774 ABC Melbourne
Melbourne's water restrictions will be eased to stage one from today.
It is the first time since 2006 that restrictions have been eased to the lowest...
moreMelbourne water restrictions eased
Monday, 23 August 2010
Edwina Scott, Brisbane Times
Melbourne residents will be able to turn on a hose to green up their gardens any time of the day in a pre-election sweetener environment groups say will come at a cost to river...
moreHoses at the ready: stage 3a restrictions to end
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Paul Austin, The Age
Melburnians will be able to water their gardens at any time and wash their cars at home for the first time in four years when restrictions are eased next week.
From...
moreGood rains mean 10bn litre boost for Yarra
Friday, 23 July 2010
Richard Willingham, The Age
The health of Melbourne's Yarra River will be given a boost with the allocation of 10 billion litres of environmental water.
Solid winter rainfalls, more efficient...
moreBaillieu’s plan a further blow for the Yarra
Wednesday 14 October 2009
In response to the Victorian Liberal Party’s claims today that more water should be pumped from the Yarra into water storages, Environment Victoria’s acting CEO Mark Wakeham said:
...
moreGovernment actions push Yarra’s native fish to the brink
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
The Victorian Government’s ongoing failure to provide adequate environmental flows to the Yarra River has pushed the endangered Macquarie Perch to the brink of...
moreSmart water solutions still needed
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Victoria’s peak environment group today raised concerns about the Brumby Government’s long-term water strategy for Melbourne following today’s announcement of the desalination plant proponents./...
moreCommunity calls on Richmond MP to revive ailing Yarra
Friday, 5 June 2009
Concerned community members, together with Environment Victoria and the Yarra Riverkeeper Association, today gathered outside Richard Wynne’s electorate office to remind the Member for Richmond...
moreDrought-stressed Yarra and Thomson need more water
Friday, 22 May 2009
Environment Victoria and the Yarra Riverkeeper Association were today disappointed with the Water Minister’s decision to consider taking more water from the already stressed Yarra and Thomson...
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2012 -
make or break for the Murray-Darling!
This year is going to be one of big questions and decisions for our biggest river system. The questions is - will the final version of the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA)'s Basin Plan do enough to keep our rivers healthy in the...
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2011
a year in the life of the Healthy Rivers campaign
And what a year it’s been! I came back to work in January in the midst of some of the biggest floods Victoria has ever seen. My first appointment was a trip to Bendigo to present to the a target="_blank" href="http...
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Here's to a Christmas
without dead fish
A little over a year ago, the beach town of Anglesea had dead fish floating down its river.
While some people pointed the finger at the Alcoa's coal...
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What will the Basin Plan deliver
for the Goulburn River?
The Goulburn River provides more water for use in Victoria than any other river except the mighty Murray itself. In 2009/10 a whopping 974 billion litres was...
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It's passed!
We officially have a price on pollution!
Today I went to Parliament House in Canberra to witness the carbon price legislation being passed into law. It was a humbling and exciting occasion.
The day began with the final speeches in the Senate. The public gallery...
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Flickr
- Victoria: green and growing |
- Water Security, Healthy Rivers: Our Vision for Melbourne |
- An Audit of Seven Environmental Bulk Entitlements – Recommended, Planned, and Actual Release of Environmental Water to Victoria’s Stressed Rivers |
- Submission to 2009 Biennial Assessment of progress in Implementation of the National Water Initiative |
- Environment Victoria’s submission to the draft Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy |
- Inquiry into Melbourne's Future Water Supply |
- Environment Victoria submission to Environment Effects Statement for the Victorian Desalination Project |
- Submission to the EPBC investigation of the Sugarloaf Pipeline |
- Environment Victoria submission to Project Impact Assessment of the Sugarloaf Pipeline Proposal |
- Submission to Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy Discussion Paper |
