Goulburn Broken Waterwatch Program

The Goulburn Broken Waterwatch program has grown considerably since its humble beginnings in 1993.  In its first year, the pilot Waterwatch program involved 6 schools in water and river health education. Over twenty years later there are more than 100 local schools involved in the Goulburn Broken Region Waterwatch education program.

Community groups have been involved in catchment monitoring activities since 1994.  Monitoring groups receive regular training, support and feedback on their results. Over 1000 samples are now collected each year at over 150 sites in the Goulburn Broken catchment.

The Waterwatch monitoring program in the region is supported by sophisticated equipment and a laboratory to monitor parameters such as total phosphorus and E.coli. These resources allow regional Waterwatch Coordinators to monitor sites regularly and fill regional monitoring and information gaps.

The Goulburn Broken Catchment:

• stretches north from the edge of Melbourne to the Murray River, taking in forests, hills, alps, woodlands and plains
• contains Victoria's largest water supply catchment (Eildon)
• contains Victoria’s longest river (the Goulburn River is 654 km long)
• contributes 12% of the inflows to the Murray Darling Basin system
• has 215,000 people, mostly living in regional centres and towns and includes the Municipalities of Moira, Campaspe, Greater City of Shepparton, Mitchell, Delatite, Murrindindi and Strathbogie
• has natural resource dependent industries such as fruit, vegetable and grape production, dairy, livestock and processing, as well as rapidly growing services within health, education and tourism industries.

Link to our Goulburn Broken Waterwatch website at http://www.gbwaterwatch.org.au/  and maybe to the Goulburn Broken CMA?  http://www.gbcma.vic.gov.au/

http://www.gbcma.vic.gov.au/about_us/who_we_are_what_we_do - about the region

And also Goulburn Valley Water at http://www.gvwater.vic.gov.au/community/community-engagement/goulburn-broken-waterwatch/