Report water pollution

What you can report

We monitor water quality in Victoria and issue alerts for waterways, including lakes, rivers, reservoirs, bays and oceans.

If you see water pollution, you can report it to us. Signs that water is polluted include:

• cloudy or discoloured appearance
• unusual smell
• foams or oil films on the surface
• dead fish in the area
• algal blooms.

Water pollution can be caused by natural events such as heavy rains, floods and bushfires. It can also be caused by people or businesses doing the wrong thing – for example, disposing of waste down stormwater drains.

Common types of pollution include:

• chemicals, such as oil, fuel and paint
• sediment, such as dust from building sites
• sewage
• litter and illegally dumped waste.

Fish deaths

A fish death event is often sudden and unexpected. It can occur in fresh water or salt water. It may involve the deaths of multiple fish species.

You can report fish deaths in Victoria to us. Reports of fish deaths in the Murray River will be referred to the NSW Department of Primary Industries(opens in a new window).

Fish can die for many reasons, including:

• water pollution
• low levels of water in waterways
• poor-quality water
• low oxygen
• change in water temperatures
• high nutrients.

Reports of fish deaths tend to increase after floods and the first rains after a bushfire.

How to report water pollution

Report water pollution or fish deaths online, or call our 24-hour pollution hotline on 1300 372 842.

Report online(opens in a new window)

What to include in your report

The more information you can give us, the quicker we can respond. When making your report, tell us:

• where the pollution is
• the time of the incident
• what type of pollution
• whether there are any dead fish
• the condition of the waterway, such as flow, colour and odour.

You can report anonymously, but if you do we cannot send you updates about your report. We also cannot contact you if we need more information.

What happens next

After you have made a report, we send you a confirmation email with a reference number.

We review your report to assess the risk to human health and the environment. We review new reports 7 days a week.

If we confirm it's a high-risk incident with significant impact on the community or environment – for example, a tyre fire or a major chemical spill – we take action quickly. Due to the volume of reports we receive, low-risk reports can take longer to action.

We try to identify the cause of the pollution. We may contact you if we need more information.

Generally, an officer visits the site within 24 hours to collect samples and determine if clean-up or management actions are needed.

We may work with other environment and water authorities when responding to fish deaths. These include the Victorian Fisheries Authority, Agriculture Victoria, catchment management authorities, water corporations, local governments and asset managers.

Impact of water pollution

We monitor water quality at locations across Victoria to prevent, reduce and manage pollution.

Water pollution can pose a risk to people, especially children, older people and people with a compromised immune system. It can also harm and kill our plants and animals.

Learn more about water pollution and its impact on our community and environment.