Rivers, streams and lakes

How EPA protects and monitors freshwater environments

Information about EPA methods to help protect and monitor Victoria's rivers, streams and lakes.

More about rivers, streams and lakes

Investigation of eel deaths in western Victoria

This page provides information about the work done by the Eel Death Investigation Reference Group. This article has been moved to the "Response to fish deaths in Victorian waterways" section of the EPA website.

More about eel deaths

Bushfires and river health

This page provides information about the bushfires in early 2003 in north-eastern Victoria and the flash flood in the Buckland River following the bushfires, that resulted in a major fish kill in the Ovens River and threatened town and rural water supplies.

More about bushfires and river health

2009 Lower Yarra Fish Study

The 2009 Lower Yarra Fish 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 does not change.

Further information can be found here.

Maribyrnong and Yarra Rivers

Through 2005 and 2006, EPA has undertaken sediment, water quality and fish sampling in various locations in the lower Maribyrnong and Yarra Rivers and completed an environmental audit to provide comprehensive information on the condition of these rivers in the Yarraville area and the possible impacts of contamination.

Environmental audit

An environmental audit of the historical contamination in the industrial precinct of Whitehall Street, Yarraville and its impact on the Maribyrnong River has been completed by Dr Peter Nadebaum of GHD Pty Ltd.

More about the environmental audit

Fish sampling and technical reports

An investigation of contaminant levels in fish caught from the Yarra and Maribyrnong estuaries is complete. The technical report includes background (including reference to the Preliminary Investigation of Contmainants in Fish conducted in 2005) and data, including all final analysis results for the investigation.

The results show that recreationally caught fish in these waterways contain low levels of a number of persistent organic contaminants, particularly polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), at concentrations that require further assessment.

The results of this study were referred to an independent expert panel for further advice in relation to the safety of fish from the estuaries for human consumption.

More about fish sampling, the technical report and the independent expert panel report

Assessment and clean up of the Whitehall Street industrial sites

EPA will continue to require clean up of historical contamination in the Whitehall Street industrial precinct to reduce the impact of these premises on the surrounding environment.

More about assessment and clean up of the Whitehall Street industrial precinct

Also view the Yarra Watch section.