Morwell River Neighbourhood Environment Improvement Plan
Find out the story behind the Morwell River NEIP:
- About the neighbourhood
- Issues of concern
- Initiatives
- Proposal development and aims and objectives
- Current activities
- Getting involved.
About the neighbourhood
The Morwell River in the Latrobe Valley begins in the Strzelecki Ranges and flows through the foothills and along a river plain passing the Hazelwood Power Station and brown coal mine. The final section of the river passes through the worked out area of the Yallourn Open Cut mine where it has been diverted into an elevated aqueduct before entering the Latrobe River at Yallourn.
The major urban centres in the catchment are Morwell and Yinnar, the smaller townships are Boolarra, and Churchill, with settlements at Yinnar South and Boolarra South.
Landuse in the upper catchment and foothills area include native and plantation timber havested for use in the paper and timber industries. Intensive dairy and beef farming is conducted along the fertile flood plain area. The power stations and associated mining operations are the major employers in the Latrobe City, with many people also employed at the Churchill Campus of Monash University Gippsland. In recent years there has also been an inflow of alternative lifesyler seekers and professionals who have chosen to retire or settle in rural residential subdivisions.
Issues of concern
The following issues have been of major concern in the local community:
- waterway health and in particular the health of the Morwell River
- protection of biodiversity within the catchment
- weed management
- protection of landscapes and cultural heritage
- landuse impact
- dumped rubbish
- effluent management
- vandalism of assets and the natural management
- recreational opportunities.
Initiatives
There are several existing initiatives and groups focused on improving waterways and protecting the environment in the catchment:
- Greening Latrobe
- Native Vegetation Incentive Scheme
- Waste Education Strategy
- West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority’s (WGCMA) Morwell River Waterway Management Plan
- Willow and exotic weed removal and revegetation with native species carried out by WGCMA, local landholders at Morwell River and TRUenergy Yallourn at Yallourn,
- Wetlands Replacement and Wetlands Development Project, a collaboration between TRUenergy Yallourn, Department of Primary Industries, Department of Sustainability and Environment, WGCMA, Latrobe City and community organisations.
- Clean Up Australia Day activites at Apex Park
- Ecological Vegetation Classification Mapping by Grand Ridge Plantations to help identify important habitat and manage native vegetation.
The NEIP will bring together stakeholders in the catchment to discuss ideas and plan further actions to address the issues of concern. Many community groups, government agencies, industry and residents are supportive of addressing the issues through the NEIP including:
- International Power Hazelwood
- TRU Energy Yallourn
- Yinnar & District Community Association
- Save Our Strzeleckis Coalition
- Victorian Farmers Federation
- West Gippland Catchment Management Authority
- Boolarra Community Development Association
- Latrobe Valley Field Naturalists
- Grand Ridge Plantations
- Department of Primary Industries
- Landowners.
Proposal development
The Latrobe City Council and EPA sponsored a NEIP coordinator to develop the proposal for the NEIP. The NEIP coordinator held community meetings and street stalls at the weekend markets at Boolarra and Yinnar to get input from the community in developing the NEIP. The Steering Committee undertook a tour of the catchment including wetlands adjacent to the river, recreation and tourist sites, logging coupes and plantations.
- Download a copy of the proposal (Adobe PDF file, 508KB).
Proposal aims and objectives
The objectives of the proposal are:
- Improved water quality of the river and its tributaries
- Reduction in incidents of vandalism to infrastructure and natural assets
- Reduction in quantity and incidence of rubbish dumped in our catchment
- Improved facilities for recreation and tourism.
Conservation and restoration of biodiversity.
Current activities
The NEIP steering committee meets monthly and has been participating in the following activities:
- A "Friends" group has been formed for the Morwell River Falls which has fallen into disrepair since the closure of the Morwell River Farm Prison
- Morwell River Waterway Action plan is being developed by the CMA and are utilising the NEIP committee for community involvement and feedback
- Clean up Australia day at Apex Park.
Getting involved
New participants are always welcome to become involved in any aspect of the Neighbourhood Environment Improvement Plan (NEIP). It is possible for new partners to sign up at any time. Interested parties can have as little or as much input or involvement in the NEIP as they wish. If you would like to be involved in improving the health of the Morwell River, contact:
EPA – Gippsland Region
Telephone: (03) 5173 9800
Send an email