Curdies River Coordinating Committee

Coordinating Committee members are

• Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CMA),
• Agriculture Victoria,
• WestVic Dairy,
• Wannon Water,
• Parks Victoria,
• Corangamite Shire,
• Moyne Shire,
• Environment Protection Authority (EPA),
• Heytesbury District Landcare Network,
• Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA),
• Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA),
• Six community representatives.

The headwaters of the Curdies River start at Lake Purrumbete, south of the township of Camperdown and flows through the Heytesbury farming district, one of the largest milk producing regions in Australia.

The Curdies Catchment includes all the land area where rain falls and eventually makes its way to the Curdies River. It includes the major creeks of Cooriemungle and Scotts Creek.

Cooriemungle Creek starts north of Port Campbell and flows to join Scotts Creek, which flows into the Curdies River at Timboon. Many other important creeks and rivers also flow into the Curdies River.

The Curdies River and its tributaries feed into the Curdies estuary where it discharges to Bass Strait at the coastal township of Peterborough. The Curdies catchment includes all the land where rain falls and flows into the Curdies River.

A catchment is an area of land, usually surrounded by mountains or hills, over which water flows and is collected. Within a catchment, water runs by gravity to the lowest point.

The water is called surface runoff if it stays on the top of the land or groundwater flow if it soaks into the ground. When water reaches the lowest point in a catchment, it eventually flows into a creek, river, lake, lagoon, wetland or the ocean.

Parks Victoria is the land manager of the Curdies River estuary. This includes responsibilities for opening the estuary if feasible and desirable to protect areas from flooding. Parks Victoria must obtain a permit from Corangamite CMA prior to any artificial estuary openings.

Under the Environment Protection Act 2017 (s25) General Environmental Duty (GED), anyone engaging in activities that may give rise to risks of harm to human health or the environment from pollution or waste needs to understand those risks and take reasonably practicable steps to minimise them.

The EPA provides guidance to dairy farmers on how to assess and meet their GED obligations, such as the Agriculture - guide to preventing harm to people and the environment. EPA also references more detailed guidance from the Department of Agriculture and Dairy Australia’s Dairy Gains program.

Dairy farms do not require a specific EPA permission to manage effluent in lagoon systems and irrigate to paddocks. The EPA recently undertook an audit of 25 dairy farms and found 2/25 farms were not meeting their obligations.

The public and agencies should report all fish death events to EPA by calling 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842), 24 hours a day. EPA will assess and triage the report considering size of the event, species, location, potential cause and other relevant factors.

If the cause of the fish death is a result of a specific pollution event, then EPA officers will respond directly to investigate. If it is likely the cause is a natural occurrence, EPA may request assistance or refer the report to other agencies with water or land management responsibilities.

Wannon Water is an urban water corporation. They don’t extract water from the Curdies River for drinking water purposes and don’t have a land or waterway management role in the Curdies River catchment. Wannon Water is the Regional Coordinator for the area including the Curdies River.

The Regional Coordinator is responsible for ensuring there is a coordinated management response for local BGA blooms and planning and preparedness for managing regional BGA blooms. Wannon Water are a provider of sewerage services and operator of the Peterborough Sewerage Scheme.

Southern Rural Water manages irrigation districts and major storages, and licenses river diverters, groundwater and private dams across southern Victoria, an area of 88,000 km2.

They deliver water for farms, rural and urban businesses, electricity generation, raw water for urban water corporations, and support regional catchment and environmental water strategies.

DEECA (formally known as DELWP) is the Control Agency for Blue Green Algae and develops the policy for the overall algal management in Victoria. DEECA collects data on BGA to monitor trends throughout the State which helps to manage BGA blooms.

During an algal bloom, DEECA will co-ordinate management activities so that all relevant stakeholders can perform their respective roles and responsibilities at the regional level.

More information can be found on the DEECA BGA page: https://www.water.vic.gov.au/waterways-andcatchments/rivers-estuaries-and-waterways/blue-green-algae

DEECA is also performing the role of Local Water Manager for Blue Green Algae in the Curdies River.

Local Water Managers are responsible for managing BGA blooms in the section of a waterway or water body they are responsible for, particularly to minimise impacts of the bloom including public health risks through monitoring, communications and reporting.

As part of DEECA, Agriculture Victoria works in partnership with farmers, industries, communities and other government agencies to grow and secure agriculture in Victoria.

Information and services delivered by Agriculture Victoria staff assists producers and landholders manage their farm as a business and improve on-farm productivity and sustainability.

This includes support with adapting to a changing climate, preparing for and managing emergencies and farm biosecurity risks, and innovation and modernisation.

Current examples in the Curdies catchment include Sustainable Dairies and GrazFert Programs to utilise fertilisers and dairy effluent to grow more feed, whilst ensuring a planned approach and responsible nutrient use.

The Corangamite CMA is responsible for managing catchment and waterway improvement programs and identifying regional priorities for natural resource management funding. This work is undertaken in collaboration with the community. The Corangamite CMA provides administrative support and coordination of the Curdies River Consultative Committee.

WestVic Dairy is Dairy Australia’s Regional Development Program for Western Victoria. Dairy Australia is the national services body for the dairy industry.

Its role is to help farmers adapt to a changing environment in order to establish a successful and sustainable industry. WestVic Dairy aims to accelerate the extent and rate of adoption by farmers of industry standard practices, new ideas and technology through the delivery of extension activities and programs.

As a part of the Australian Dairy Sustainability Framework WestVic Dairy seeks to help farmers improve their land management practices in order to reduce environmental impact.

WestVic Dairy’s role in the catchment is to deliver programs and extension activities to assist dairy farmers in being good environmental stewards. This includes but is not limited to programs such as Fertsmart, which guides farmers through developing a soil and nutrient management plan.

Moyne Shire Council represent the community within the Moyne Shire, which encompasses sections of the Curdies River.

Council is responsible for implementing the Planning and Environment Act through the Planning Scheme, which aims to guide approvals for changes in Use and Development of land.

Councils also have responsibility in partnership with other agencies for undertaking flood studies for high-risk areas within the shire.

Additionally, Council undertakes targeted roadside weed control, roadside drainage and vegetation protection programs. Council also provides small, Environment Support Grants to the community to undertake environmental and sustainability projects.

Corangamite Shire Council represent the community within the Corangamite Shire, which encompasses sections of the Curdies River.

Council is responsible for implementing the Planning and Environment Act through the Corangamite Planning Scheme, which aims to guide approvals for changes in Use and Development of land.

Councils also have responsibility in partnership with other agencies for undertaking flood studies for high-risk areas within the shire.

Additionally, Council undertakes targeted roadside weed control, roadside drainage and vegetation protection programs. Council also provides small, Environment Support Grants to the community to undertake environmental and sustainability projects