Exciting News: The New WaterWatch & EstuaryWatch Website is Live!
As autumn officially kicks off, take a look below to catch up on what’s been happening across the state and the exciting events on the horizon. We’re gearing up for another big year of citizen science programs!
I’m also thrilled to announce that the brand-new WaterWatch & EstuaryWatch website and data portal is now live! This exciting update makes it easier than ever for volunteers, community members, waterway managers and researchers to explore water quality trends and engage with the amazing data collected by volunteers across the state.
What’s New?
🔹 A modern, user-friendly website with up-to-date project information
🔹 Interactive charts that instantly display water quality trends
🔹 The “Explain for Me” tool to help interpret water quality parameters
🔹 Traffic-light indicators (where data allows) to provide a quick snapshot of waterway health
This long-awaited update has been a huge team effort, and I want to extend my gratitude to everyone who contributed ideas and helped test the new features.
Please have a good look through the new website and upgraded portal and look for your local waterway. There are still a few bugs that we are ironing out in the first few weeks of it being live, but we need you to test it further, if you find any problems, let me know at justine.holmes@ccma.vic.gov.au — your feedback will help us fine-tune the platform and make it even better.
Looking forward to another great year of monitoring and acting for our waterways together.
Warm regards,
Justine
State Coordinator, WaterWatch & EstuaryWatch
Events
Wednesday, 19 Mar 2025 6pm until 7pm
Frog Findings & Future Hops: Unveiling Last Year’s Data & April’s Monitoring Plans
Join us for Frog Findings & Future Hops as we dive into last year’s frog monitoring results and look ahead to our next big survey in April! Discover key trends, insights, and what they mean for our frog populations, plus get all the details on how you can be part of the upcoming monitoring month. Whether you’re a seasoned frogger or simply curious about our froggy friends, this session is not to be missed! Please register for the event to receive the invite.
Sign up here – make sure you hit the register button to receive an invite.
Tuesday 25 March 12:30pm – 1:30pm
New WaterWatch and EstuaryWatch website walk through
Learn about the new website and how to use it to its best capacity! Ill walk you through the new upgrades
- A fresh, modern website with up-to-date project info
- Interactive charts for instant data trends
- The “Explain for Me” tool to help interpret parameters
- Traffic-light water quality indicators (where data allows)
Register here for the webinar – make sure you hit the register button to receive an invite.
Stories from around the state
Melbourne Water
Catching carp and promoting responsible pet ownership for the platypus
Over January, Melbourne Water coordinated two community events to target behaviours impacting the platypus.
Catch a Carp for platypus was held in Bacchus Marsh in collaboration with Bacchus Marsh Platypus Alliance and Fish Care Victoria. The event featured a fishing clinic and macroinvertebrate discovery activity. Attendees learnt about the local platypus population and some of their biggest threats – discarded fishing line and illegal yabby traps (opera house nets). As a bonus invasive Carp were removed from the Werribee River during the event!
Melbourne Water also teamed up with Hume Council, Sunbury & District Obedience Dog Club and Friends of Emu Bottom to deliver a dogs breakfast event – Paws for platypus. During the event attendees gained knowledge about the importance of responsible pet ownership around wildlife and keeping dogs out of waterways through participating in dog obedience workshops and a platypus habitat tour.
Merri Creek Management Committee (Melbourne)
Merri Mayflies: citizen scientists of Merri Creek
If you’ve ever taken a Sunday stroll along the Merri Creek in Melbourne and noticed a group of people clutching clipboards and buckets, gathering water samples along the bank, there’s a good chance it was one of the nine WaterWatch groups currently active along the Merri and Darebin creeks and tributaries.
WaterWatch is a Victoria-wide citizen-science program dedicated to monitoring waterway health. In the Merri Creek catchment, the program is hosted and supported by Merri Creek Management Committee (MCMC). Through a range of practical, hands-on activities with volunteers and school groups, the program engages local communities to foster understanding and ownership of local water-quality issues.
James is a volunteer with the Merri Mayflies, a newer WaterWatch group which monitors water quality on a stretch of the creek near environmental education centre and park CERES, in Brunswick. He says that engaging with interested passers-by is a fun and essential part of the task.
“The section of Merri Creek where we work is a built-up area with a mix of factories and warehouses, so unfortunately the water quality is never very good,” says James. “We conduct testing in a very public spot, and we’re quite visible in our official shirts, so people often stop and ask what we’re up to. It’s a great opportunity to have a chat and share a bit of knowledge.”
The Merri Mayflies, like all the Waterwatch groups along the Merri Creek, are supported in their efforts by Julia Cirillo, MCMC’s WaterWatch and Rapid Response to Litter after Rainfall Coordinator. Julia conducts training for new volunteers, provides testing kits with all the necessary equipment, and offers opportunities for volunteers to participate in data analysis and reporting.
“The Mayflies are one of our largest groups, with around six active monitors,” says Julia. “They go out monthly and test for salinity, the muddiness of the water, nutrients, acidity, and the amount of dissolved oxygen – all important considerations for the health of aquatic life. Monthly monitoring ensures community knowledge of the creek is high and we can notice changes and patterns much more quickly.”
“The poor water quality where James’ group works means that it’s even more important to maintain awareness. If we see unexpected further degradation, we can identify it quickly and report it to the managers of the creek (Melbourne Water, also an MCMC member) and local councils. Our methods align with water-quality monitoring standards across Victoria and Australia, so the data we collect is scientifically robust.”
Along the lower Merri, where much of the land along the banks is used for retail, residential and light industry purposes, water-quality issues often arise from stormwater pollution, which can bring litter, detergents and oils into the creek.
One of the aspects of the WaterWatch program that appeals to volunteers like James is that the data they collect is fed into a publicly accessible portal a that provides a broader understanding of the health of the Merri Creek. This data helps guide MCMC and other organisations with planning efforts – highlighting trends, identifying problem areas, and determining which stakeholders to engage for solutions.
“I’m not a scientist,” says James. “But through the Merri Mayflies, I’ve learned so much about how weather and rain impact water quality, and how resilient the flora and fauna are around the creek. It’s great to feel like I’m contributing in a small way to paint a bigger picture of the health of the waterway.”
Julia highlights the pivotal role that volunteers like James can play in their communities – raising awareness of harmful products or promoting best practice around gardening and car washing.
“There are many simple changes we can all make to improve the water quality in the creek,” she says. “WaterWatch empowers participants and gives them the knowledge and skills to become passionate advocates for improved water quality in their area. Seeing the issues first-hand gives those volunteers the confidence to speak out and inspire others to act.”
Celebrating 20 Years of Dedication: Thank You, Irene!
This year, we say a heartfelt thank you to Irene for an incredible 20 years of dedication to the Waterwatch program and Streamteam. Since joining in 2003, Irene has been a driving force in community water monitoring, bringing her expertise, enthusiasm, and passion for our waterways to every session.
Irene first joined Streamteam when it was founded by another dedicated volunteer, Chris, and took on the coordinator role in 2005. Aside from a brief period overseas in 2019, she has been instrumental in leading the group, most recently sharing coordination duties with another member, Trevor. Her decision to step back now comes with the realisation that she is often away during monthly sessions, but her legacy will undoubtedly remain strong.
With a background in chemistry and a lifelong fascination with water and aquatic life, Irene brought valuable knowledge to the role. Her expertise enriched the monitoring program, and her love for the environment made her an inspiring leader. From the moment she moved to Coburg North in 2000, she was drawn to the beauty of Merri Creek, and her desire to give back led her to Waterwatch. Despite her initial confidence in her chemistry skills, she quickly learned that training was essential—but she embraced the challenge wholeheartedly.
What kept Irene committed for two decades? The ever-evolving data, the surprising changes in waterbug populations (like the sudden appearance of crabs at St Georges Road in 2020), and, most importantly, the friendships she built along the way. She has always hoped that the data collected would contribute to better environmental management strategies and water-sensitive urban design. Her dedication has certainly helped lay the groundwork for these goals.
Of course, not every moment has been glamorous—she recalls huddling under the St Georges Road Bridge among pigeon droppings to complete testing on rainy days! But the best moments far outweighed the worst: seeing the joy on people’s faces as they discover the incredible aquatic life in the creek has been a highlight.
Through 20 years of monitoring, one lesson stands out: answering the simple question, “Is the water quality improving?” takes time and patience. Irene has also reflected on ways to enhance the volunteer experience, including improving data visibility and making it more accessible on the Friends of Merri Creek website. Though she may be stepping back from coordination, she has plenty of ideas for the future—perhaps in retirement, she’ll take a deeper dive into data analysis!
Irene, we are immensely grateful for your commitment, wisdom, and camaraderie over the past two decades. Your passion for our waterways has inspired so many, and your contributions will leave a lasting impact. Thank you for everything!
Corangamite Catchment Management Authority
Thank you Gellibrand EstuaryWatchers
A huge shout-out to Carol and Sally for their dedication to monitoring the Gellibrand Estuary. When the CCMA received reports of fish deaths, Parks Victoria was sent to investigate. Fortunately, Carol and Sally were on-site that day, providing valuable firsthand observations and confirming poor water quality in the estuary.
An independent contractor was then brought in for further testing, which confirmed additional fish deaths and ongoing water quality issues. To complicate matters, it was a long weekend with an extreme fire danger rating and a risk of road flooding.
Given these risks, the decision was made to artificially open the estuary to ensure the safety of communities that might need to evacuate in case of fire. The CCMA promptly informed Carol and Sally of the opening, allowing them to share this information with the local community.
Current research indicates that wherever possible it is best to leave estuaries to operate naturally to maintain the health of waterways, vegetation and wildlife.
As the sea level continues to rise over the coming decades, more land and assets will become inundated more frequently and it will become increasingly difficult to safely open estuary entrances out to the sea. Also, modelling suggests that the effectiveness of artificial estuary openings in the future may decline. This is why we must urgently continue our work to understand and communicate the future impacts of climate change and sea level rise for coastal communities.
River Detectives update
River Detectives inspires teachers and students to understand, appreciate and care for their local waterway and catchment through engaging, cross-curricular, citizen-science activities. The program is off and racing in a new school year finalising our 2025 intake of schools, youth groups and environmental education providers. The program is free, fun and flexible.
It is currently offered in five regions:
- North Central CMA region
- Corangamite CMA region
- North East CMA region
- Wimmera CMA region
- Melbourne Water area
Take a look at our 2024 achievements video or our 2022-2024 program achievements that highlight what we’ve achieved. For more information about the program, head to www.riverdetectives.net.au or email riverdetectives@nccma.vic.gov.au
River Detectives 2024 – YouTube
