East Gippsland Waterwatch Contacts

Vacant

East Gippsland Waterwatch
East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority
PO Box 1012
Bairnsdale VIC 3876
ph: (03) 5152 0600 
email:

Kim Snyder

East Gippsland Waterwatch
East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority
PO Box 1012
Bairnsdale VIC 3876
ph: (03) 5150 3502 
email: ksnyder@egcma.com.au

 

East Gippsland Waterwatch Program

East Gippsland is a unique region; our Waterwatch program covers areas from the mountains to the Gippsland Lakes. The Gippsland Lakes are the largest navigable inland waterway in Australia and are listed under the RAMSAR convention for their unique natural landforms, vegetation and their ability to support thousands of water birds.

The East Gippsland Waterwatch (EGWW) program was first formed in 1995. Our team is made up of a Regional Coordinator and a Facilitator. The East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (EGCMA) acts as the lead agency providing administrative oversight with EGWW.

Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program

The network currently consists of 72 groups and individuals who volunteer their time to collect data on the health of their waterway. The network monitors 109 sites across East Gippsland, contributing to the management of natural resources in East Gippsland. Volunteer knowledge and skills are enhanced through a number of training and development opportunities, including Quality Assurance / Quality Control, Macroinvertebrate Training, Water Quality Testing techniques and other special events held throughout each year.

 

 

School and Community Education

The East Gippsland Waterwatch education program is well established with over 40 schools and 2500 students and teachers involved on an annual basis. Waterwatch activities are delivered on a term-by-term basis, including the catchment story, water quality monitoring, macroinvertebrate sampling and identification, habitat and site surveys. Schools also get involved in National Water Week activities and other organised special events. Waterwatch also participates in other community education events, including local markets, field days, Summer by the Sea activities and many more.

The East Gippsland Region

The East Gippsland Region covers an area of 2.13 million hectares – nearly 10% of Victoria and includes the land and water extending from the western watershed of the Mitchell River catchment eastward to the New South Wales border. The major river basins of the Mitchell, Tambo and Nicholson drain into the Gippsland Lakes. Further east, the Snowy River and several smaller stream catchments (including the Thurra, Wingan, Genoa, Bemm and Cann Rivers) enter the Tasman Sea. Large areas of the Snowy and Genoa River catchments are in New South Wales. Within the Region, over 1.7 million hectares is public land with 268,000 hectares of this being National Parks. Private land in the Region (419,300 hectares) is concentrated on red gum plains, coastal plains, mountain plateaux and fertile river valleys.

Average annual rainfall ranges from over 2,200mm on the Errinundra Plateau to about 500mm in rainshadow areas like the upper Snowy River valley. Average rainfall is fairly even throughout the year and comes both from rain depressions off the east-coast of Australia and from westerly systems. Large rain events are usually associated with east-coast low-pressure systems; average annual rainfall can be highly variable as a result. Floods and drought make land management difficult, especially where seasonal rainfall deficits increase the likelihood of bushfires.

From: East Gippsland Regional Catchment & Land Protection Board (1997) Regional Catchment Strategy