Channel Deepening Project
The channel deepening project was to deepen sections of the shipping channels to the Port of Melbourne to accommodate vessels with a draught of up to 14 metres. The project started in February 2008 after receiving approval from the state of Victoria under the Coastal Management Act 1995, and the commonwealth under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Dredging works were completed on the 25th November 2009.
EPA Monitoring Programs
To minimise the environmental effects to the Bay from the Channel Deepening Project, a set of rules were developed to control when, where and how dredging could be delivered. Supporting these rules is a suite of 13 baywide monitoring programs, which collect information on the bay’s health from 2008 to 2012. . Follow this link for more information on these Baywide Monitoring Programs.
Baywide Water Quality Monitoring Program
EPA has been monitoring water quality in Port Phillip Bay for 30 years and has expanded its fixed site monitoring program for the duration of the dredging and for two years following its completion. The expanded monitoring program includes monthly samples at 11 sites across the Bay and a wider range of parameters are being tested for, including lead, mercury and arsenic.
Once the monitoring data has been checked by EPA scientists, it is made available to the Port of Melbourne Corporation and to the Office of the Environmental Monitor.
The Office provides the results on its website here. 
2009 Lower Yarra Fish Study
Another Baywide monitoring program undertaken by EPA was the 2009 Lower Yarra Fish Study which examined if contaminant levels in fish from the lower Yarra River in 2009 had significantly changed since the last study in 2006. The 2009 fish study tested the levels of a large range of contaminants including heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic, pesticides, hydrocarbons, dioxins and other compounds that may be found in fish caught within the lower Yarra.
The study found that the contaminant levels in fish sampled from the Lower Yarra River were generally lower than the levels recorded in 2006. This means the current health advisory for people who catch fish from the Lower Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers remains. The results from the 2009 study can be found here.
View DHS advice for people who catch fish in the Lower Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers
For further information on the study, follow the link to the Office of the Environmental Monitor's website
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This was the third fish study conducted by EPA. Similar studies were held in 2005 and 2006. Further information on these previous programs can be found here.
More Information
Further information on the Channel Deepening Project is available at:
- Port of Melbourne Corporation – Channel Deepening Project website
- Office of the Environmental Monitor website.
- Department of Sustainability and Environment website.
Queries relating to EPA's involvement in the Channel Deepening Project or requests for further information can be directed to the EPA Information Centre