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Melbourne Water

Melbourne's water
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Stream Frontage Management Program

Stable, vegetated river beds and banks are an important feature of a healthy waterway. We work with landowners to protect, improve and manage their river frontages under the Stream Frontage Management Program.

Participating landowners are offered funding assistance, technical advice and educational opportunities. Funding may continue for several years if a project needs to be done in stages. The most common works required are weed control, fencing to exclude stock, and revegetation of banks with indigenous plants.

Around 2700 grants totalling almost $7 million have been provided to landholders since the program started in 1996. Funding has been used to erect over 600 kilometres of fencing and plant almost one million indigenous trees, shrubs and ground covers.

Who can apply?

To be eligible you need to:

  1. Live within the Port Phillip and Westernport region (Werribee, Maribyrnong, Yarra, Dandenong, Westernport and Mornington Peninsula catchments)

    2. View enlarged map

  2. Own freehold waterway frontage or manage licensed Crown land waterway frontage.

Preference is given to frontages of greater than 50 metres on important rivers and creeks. A list of important rivers and creeks can be found in Appendix 3 of the Port Phillip and Westernport Regional River Health Strategy (PDF, 245kb). Melbourne Water identifies rivers and creeks that have an urgent need for stream frontage rehabilitation. Applications from landholders along other waterways within the region will also be considered.

Urban stream frontage landholders will be given preference when neighbouring landholders are also interested.

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What do you get out of it?

Benefits to the landowner include:

  • Increase in land value through improved landscapes and stable land
  • Improved water quality
  • Improved bed and bank stability
  • Increase in animals living in, and alongside, rivers
  • Improved farm productivity (stock, pasture and crop shelter).

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When can you apply?

Expressions of Interest can be submitted at any time, but may be held on file until funding becomes available.

The timing of funding varies each year. Please contact Melbourne Water for further information on (03) 9235 2231.

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What sort of work qualifies for funding?

Successful applicants will be offered a contribution towards a range of the following materials, works and opportunities:

  • Streamside fencing (with the purpose of excluding stock from the river or creek) at $4.50 per metre for post and wire or $2.75 for electric (with existing system) on agreed alignments. Higher funding rates apply for increased setbacks from the top of the stream bank. The minimum setback required is an average of 10 metres
  • Environmental weed control
  • Local indigenous plants, weed mats and tree guards
  • Materials and/or works required to establish off-stream stock watering points
  • Technical advice
  • Educational opportunities

At the successful completion of the first year of their project, landowners will receive a Healthy Waterways sign acknowledging their involvement in the program.

Ongoing funding will be considered for staged or long-term projects.

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What's your role?

The landowner is required to:

  • Complete the agreed works within 12 months of receiving funding
  • Where fencing is funded, organise the erection of fencing along the agreed alignment
  • Organise initial and follow-up weed control on the stream frontage land
  • Keep stock out of the regenerating area
  • Where vegetation is funded, organise planting.
  • Establish the site for a minimum of three years, including:
    • Maintenance of gates and fences in good order to exclude stock
    • Follow-up weed control
    • Follow-up plant maintenance
  • Organise contractors, if required, in order to carry out program related works
  • Use sympathetic farm management practices.

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Where do you sign up? The application process...
Expression of Interest

Complete a Stream Frontage Management Program Expression of Interest Application Form (PDF, 2mb)

And post your form to:

Stream Frontage Management Program
Melbourne Water, River Health
PO Box 4342 Melbourne VIC 3001

Assessment

Applications are assessed by a Melbourne Water representative. The application process includes an onsite inspection.

  • Landholders should consider prior to an inspection what they want to achieve and how quickly they wish to achieve their improvements
  • Landowners whose sites and projects best satisfy the program's criteria (below) will receive a funding offer that will contribute towards the cost of the proposed works
  • Landowners who accept the offer then enter into a formal agreement with Melbourne Water, called a Stream Frontage Management Agreement.
Successful projects will meet the following criteria:
  • Project aligns with the Regional River Health Strategy
  • Landholder/s are committed and able to undertake agreed works and ongoing site maintenance
  • Project will protect or enhance natural assets and values (including corridors)
  • Project complements other waterway works (instream, on the property or adjacent properties)
  • Cost-effective management.

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More information

Contact Melbourne Water on (03) 9235 2231.