Working in partnership
EPA exists to enable the safe, clean and sustainable environment that all Victorians seek. Achieving the best possible environmental outcomes depends on more than simply complying with environmental laws.
The protection and management of the water environment is a shared responsibility. Victoria has in place many effective processes for protecting its waters. These involve a variety of stakeholders, each having different but complementary roles and responsibilities.
A key to EPA's success is working cooperatively with a range of people to help protect the water environment. EPA works with Victorian communities, including industry, community groups, individuals and other agencies (such as catchment management authorities, regional coastal boards, local councils, water authorities and the Department of Sustainability and Environment), to help protect the water environment.
EPA works closely with these groups through projects like Pollution Watch Line, community liaison committees, policy consultations, general communications activities, environment improvement plans and neighbourhood environment improvement plans. Receiving feedback from the community is a very important part of EPA business.
These relationships allow EPA to gain a greater understanding of the community's needs and expectations, provide opportunities for EPA to pass on advice and information on good environmental practices, add value to environment protection work already being carried out and identify further areas for collaboration.
Protecting Our Bays and Waterways is an an example of a partnership agreement between EPA, Melbourne Water and the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV).
Helping to protect the environment is everyone's responsibility.
EPA's Community Outreach Program
EPA's Community Outreach Program is about developing and delivering programs to better meet community expectations, as well as working more effectively with other organisations involved in environmental management.
The Community Outreach Program is about ensuring meaningful involvement of people with EPA activities and has been building strong community links since it commenced in April 2000.
EPA's outreach work includes providing information about EPA initiatives and policies, consultation with communities, groups or individuals, and seeking information and opinions that can assist in making decisions about sensitive and important issues.
Industry sectors
Industry can work with its members and suppliers to implement incentives, environmental management practices and implementation targets, to ensure that their activities are managed to reduce their impacts on surface waters.
Industry can work closely with other members of the local community to work towards environmental improvement. For example, improvements can be supported by the development of a site specific community based environment improvement plan (EIP), becoming involved in community based projects, such as neighbourhood environment improvement plans, and setting up complaints response systems where appropriate.
Individuals and community groups
Community members have a responsibility to manage their activities to minimise direct impacts on surface waters and to efficiently use natural resources to avoid the generation of waste and wastewater.
Community members play a role in supporting and feeding their views into the regional planning processes of catchment management authorities, regional coastal boards and local (municipal) councils, and identifying regional beneficial uses that they value and actions aimed at achieving their protection.
Community members can also send a report to EPA if they see wastes being dumped into drains or waterways.
Catchment management authorities
Catchment management authorities (CMAs) were formed to create a whole of catchment approach to natural resource management in Victoria. Catchment management authorities are regional bodies which have a responsibility to coordinate the ecologically sustainable development and use of catchments, and maintain and improve the quality of land and water resources.
Catchment management authorities carry out these responsibilities (outlined in the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 and the Water Act 1989) by developing regional catchment strategies, which outline programs and actions aimed at the protection and rehabilitation of water quality, flow and aquatic habitats.
They assist urban and rural landholders to use land sustainably and reduce the impact of catchment activities on surface waters, therefore supporting the protection of beneficial uses outlined in State environment protection policies.
Regional coastal boards
Regional coastal boards have responsibilities under the Coastal Management Act 1995 as the peak regional bodies for the strategic coastal planning of the Victorian coast. They also provide advice to the government and other organisations and the community on coastal planning and management related issues.
Regional coastal boards are organisations which have a responsibility to provide advice on, and undertake strategic planning to enable the ecologically sustainable development of coastal environments. Coastal action plans can be developed to plan and prioritise actions, and set targets with other partners to protect beneficial uses identified in State environment protection policies.
Local councils
Local councils manage and undertake activities that impact on surface waters, for example, the planning and approval of sustainable land use, domestic wastewater management and stormwater management.
To support implementation of State environment protection policies, local councils can ensure that municipal planning schemes, statements and approvals are consistent with the policy and help to protect beneficial uses.
They can also ensure that the impacts on surface waters of domestic wastewater and urban stormwater are minimised.
Water authorities
Water authorities have various responsibilities to provide water and wastewater services in an environmentally sustainable manner. In carrying out their responsibilities, water authorities can work with other organisations, such as catchment management authorities, to develop and implement relevant priority actions.
They are involved in management, in partnership with catchment management authorities and landholders, to minimise the impact on beneficial uses of irrigation drains and agricultural drains, as well as the allocation of environmental flows.
Water authorities also work with industry to minimise the impact of trade wastes and to minimise the impact of wastewater on beneficial uses.
Department of Sustainability and Environment
The Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) has significant responsibilities in overseeing the general protection, conservation and sustainable management of Victoria's natural environment and biodiversity. DSE has direct responsibility for overseeing the delivery of waterway, flood plain, coastal, forestry and catchment management services. Through these responsibilities, DSE is the lead agency for ensuring the ecologically sustainable use of Victoria's water environments.
In carrying out these responsibilities, DSE works with many stakeholders such as farmers, catchment management authorities, coastal boards, water authorities and other relevant agencies to assist in the development of actions to enhance the sustainability of water environments.
The Department of Sustainability and Environment also works to develop management tools and incentives to provide information on, protecting and rehabilitating rivers, wetlands, lakes, estuaries and marine environments and their beneficial uses.