Rivers and Streams

A partnership between Coliban Water, Greening Australia and the North Central Catchment Management Authority was initiated in late 2004 to protect and rehabilitate the Coliban River catchment from the River’s source to Lake Eppalock over the next 5 years.
The partnership would have several goals;

• To recognise the significance of the Coliban/Campaspe Water Supply System for North Central Victoria and the inextricable linkages between water supply resources and the ecological health of the river systems involved.
• To protect the integrity of the three Coliban River storages
• To consider the health and beneficial uses of the Coliban and lower Campaspe River systems in the context of a ‘Living Landscape’, where the development of a lighthouse-type project will enhance broad landscape change, will respect and protect the natural and social values and will in turn, enable close contact with local fence-line communities and Landcare and Catchment Groups to be maintained.

 Within the above goals, the partnership seeks to:

• use biolinks to connect the Coliban River source to Lake Eppalock with a number of corridors also connecting to stands of remnant, native vegetation along the way;
• protect the three Coliban River storages through fencing, buffer revegetation and appropriate stock management on adjoining land along tributary waterways;
• where possible, address point source contamination to the river system through catchment management; and
• undertake the necessary preparation for revegetating the catchments to ensure adequate soil condition and the absence of pest plants and animals.

The partnership project may also investigate some key research questions associated with the works being undertaken, offering the opportunity to also partner with CSIRO and other research institutes on the applicability of such practices in North Central Victorian ecosystems.