On this page:

Healthy rivers, creeks, floodplains and wetlands benefit everyone who works, lives and plays near them.

Water for the environment is good for all of us

Waterway health is the foundation for social and recreational benefits. Water for the environment aims to protect, maintain and increase the health of waterways and the plants and animals whose survival depend on them. Meeting the essential needs of rivers, creeks, floodplains and wetlands also benefits community wellbeing and prosperity.

Water for the environment supports:

  • the native animals and plants and places that people care deeply about
  • recreational activities such as paddling, camping, fishing, bushwalking and birdwatching
  • a sense of wellbeing, through contributing to healthier landscapes for people to enjoy
  • helping sustain healthy Country and meet cultural objectives for Traditional Owners
  • improving the quality of water for activities such as swimming, and indirect economic benefits such as irrigated farming.

Who benefits

For instance, flow and habitat for native fish in the Goulburn and Glenelg rivers.

More ‘green’ and ‘blue’ spaces for people to access and enjoy in arid regions such as the lower Murray wetlands and the Wimmera.

Flows support vegetation in and around important riverside camping areas such as Gunbower Forest and Creek, the Campaspe River and the Lindsay Mulcra Wallpolla islands.

Water and habitat for bird breeding and foraging, such as the central Murray wetlands and the Latrobe wetlands.

The Gunbower Island Canoe Trail, and Thomson river paddlers benefit from environmental flows.

Aside from the natural benefits of healthier rivers for communities, we can actively support community benefits in the way water for the environment is stored and delivered.

Sometimes the timing of a release of water for the environment can be adjusted to align with recreational events or activities, for example:

  • a summer fresh timed to align with the summer holiday period to support paddlers on the Glenelg River
  • a summer/autumn fresh timed to support the annual Bridgewater Weir pool waterskiing competition on the Loddon River
  • a spring fresh timed to reduce impacts on recreational river access on the Goulburn River
  • a summer fresh timed to coincide with a long weekend in the Tarago River.

Where possible, water managers try to maximise benefits like these, so long as the environmental reasons for the watering are not compromised.

How people are involved

Millions of Victorians appreciate and interact with rivers and wetlands. We walk our dogs by them, camp near them, swim and fish in them. So it's not surprising that lots of Victorians get involved in decisions about how water for the environment is used.

Local communities

Each year local communities have a say about environmental priorities in their region when seasonal watering proposals are developed by waterway managers (catchment management authorities and Melbourne Water).

If you are part of a local group interested in river and wetland health and want to know more about water for the environment in your region, get in touch with your local catchment management authority or Melbourne Water.

Victoria's peak interest groups

The VEWH engages with representatives from peak interest groups across Victoria. Every two years we hold the Environmental Water Matters Forum to hear from others who are interested in water for the environment and for us to get feedback on how water for the environment is managed. Many different organisations attend, including environment groups, Traditional Owner representatives, farming peak bodies, recreation groups and community and industry groups.

Page last updated: 05/12/24