ACT Water Strategy Report Card 2024

The ACT Government supports healthy catchments and waterbodies by coordinating regional catchment management and implementing activities to improve the condition of the Territory’s land and water. EPSDD assesses the impact of implementing the ACT Water Strategy by undertaking monitoring with support from the Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) Directorate. Other support comes from a range of external stakeholders including the Regional Catchment Management Coordination Group (RCMCG), Icon Water, the Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Network (UMCN) and the Upper Murrumbidgee Demonstration Reach (UMDR).

A coordinated approach to regional catchment management

In 2023-24 the Office of Water worked with regional networks and groups, including the ACT and Region Catchment Management Coordination Group (the Coordination Group), the Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Network (UMCN), and the Australian River Restoration Centre, to support catchment management and regional water security issues. Discussions within the Coordination Group highlighted poor health in the Upper Murrumbidgee River and EPSDD worked with the regional groups to promote cross-border solutions.

In December 2023, the Australian Government responded to the issues raised by the Catchment Group and community by committing over $50 million to range of new measures to improve the health of the upper Murrumbidgee River. These measures will be delivered through the ACT and NSW governments, in partnership with community. The commitments are set out on the Australian Government website - Improving the health of the Upper Murrumbidgee

Water quality related activities

The Office of Water continued to deliver projects under a $30 million extension to the ACT Healthy Waterways program, which is an initiative to improve the quality of water entering lakes and waterways and flowing downstream into the Murrumbidgee River system. Over the past year the program delivered several projects to directly improve water quality. A project was delivered to encourage residents to help prevent autumn leaves from entering roadside gutters and another designed to promote ‘waterways friendly gardens’ that reduce residents’ reliance on fertilisers, which can enter waterways and stimulate algal blooms.

New Healthy Waterways wetlands and other infrastructure were built to reduce stormwater pollution and flows:

• 45 roadside curb outlets into green spaces in Kambah;
• Naturalisation of the Tuggeranong Creek concrete drain in Calwell;
• A wetland at the Belconnen Oval; and,
• A stormwater re-use asset for irrigating sports fields in Kambah.

Healthy Waterways also commenced the development of a plan for Lake Tuggeranong. This plan will detail the strategy the ACT Government will adopt to improve water quality in Tuggeranong waterways and, specifically, to reduce the incidence of blue-green algal blooms in Lake Tuggeranong.

The Office of Water led several other water quality related activities over the past year. The Office commenced a review of the policy and legislative framework for water quality. This review aims to ensure that the framework remains contemporary and in line with Government and community expectations, with a direct focus on recognising the management objectives for ACT lakes, supporting the community’s environmental values and uses, and mitigating potential risks that may affect these values and uses. Key foundational tasks to be undertaken include a review of the:

• Water Use and Catchment General Code to ensure that the environmental values and water uses align with community expectations and the national framework.
• Environment Protection Regulation 2005 to ensure alignment with the Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality 2018 and the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 2011 (update 2022) and any other relevant national or international guidance and standards for water quality.
• Water Quality Environment Protection Policy to ensure it is current, relevant and assists the Environment Protection Authority to use an adaptive management approach to meet the management objectives, protect water catchment values and minimise the impact of polluting activities on water quality in waterways.

Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) Directorate contributed to improved water quality in urban Canberra by:

• Operating and maintaining ACT Healthy Waterway, gross pollutant traps (GPTs) and other stormwater assets;
• Removing debris from GPTs, sumps and the underground stormwater pipe network to reduce organic matter entering waterways;
• Removing silt from stormwater quality control ponds;
• Delivering a comprehensive street sweeping program to reduce leaf and organic loads entering the stormwater network and waterways;
• Reviewing stormwater infrastructure in new developments to reduce the incidence of non-compliant assets and to optimise future operation and maintenance efforts;
• Monitoring water quality monitoring within waterways and in accordance with authorisation by the Environmental Protection Authority.

Managing stream flows in the ACT to sustain freshwater ecosystems and protect suburbs

Environmental flows assist in the maintenance of water quality and aquatic ecosystems throughout ACT catchments. Requirements are set out in the Water Resources Environmental Flow Guidelines and regulated flows are managed under licence conditions held by Icon Water, the Territory’s utility operator that provides essential drinking water and sewerage services. All environmental flows from the Corin, Bendora, Cotter and Googong reservoirs were achieved and, in cases, exceeded for the 2022–23 reporting period (reporting for 2023–24 was not available at the time of publishing this report card). The Office of Water commenced the latest 5-yearly review of the Environmental Flow Guidelines to help ensure their effectiveness.

In addition, the Office of Water prepared the ACT Long Term Watering Plan and participated in the MDBA’s Integrated River Model Uplift project. These projects contribute to the ACT Government’s commitment under the Murray Darling Basin Plan, in particular the Basin Plan Review.

Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) Directorate helped to manage stream flows and flooding in urban Canberra by restoring cut-off drains located at the base of ridges and hills, responding to nuisance flooding requests and conducting flood modelling studies of three historical storm events in the Parkes Way catchment. These studies were taken at various sites to address ways to reduce the intensity and volume of stormwater flows in urban creeks and protect downstream environments from flooding. From these studies retarding basins were designed with construction continuing into the next financial year. Projects include:

• Kippax;
• Duffy Oval’s Eucumbene Drive cut off drains;
• Goliath Court;
• Canberra Avenue and Hall Village;
• Narrabundah Playing Fields retarding basin;
• Throsby Crescent retarding basin; and,
• Sprent Park retarding basin.

Research and Monitoring

The ACT Government assesses the impact of implementing the ACT Water Strategy ACT lakes and waterways are monitored by EPSDD, external organisations and the community. This information is used to better understand the impact water quality improvement activities are having on the environment. This monitoring also informs various restoration activities aimed to improve the health of our waterbodies.

The Waterwatch program provides opportunities for citizen scientists to monitor the health of ACT waterways and reports on findings in an annual Catchment Health Indicator Program (CHIP) report. The Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch 2023 CHIP report is based on 1,946 water quality surveys, 189 waterbug surveys and 132 riparian condition surveys conducted by over 200 volunteers. The report found that:

• Out of 95 report cards, 10 are in 'excellent' health, 43 were 'good', 41 presented as 'fair' and 1 received a 'poor' rating (Tuggeranong Creek).
• 56% of reaches fell into the excellent/good range which is the best result in the CHIP’s ten-year history, breaking the previous record set in 2022.

Icon Water continues to co-sponsor the Cooma Waterwatch program, which is instrumental in developing the annual CHIP report.

The Office of Nature Conservation within EPSDD conducts research and provides scientific advice on flora and fauna, ecological and natural resource management, biodiversity monitoring, threatened species reintroductions, recovery plans and conducts management actions for fish. Over the past year, key activities conducted by Office of Nature Conservation at ACT lakes and waterways included:

• Research and distribution of macrophytes and their associated environmental conditions in the Murrumbidgee River within the ACT (research conducted by University of Canberra), as well as the Murray Crayfish population (funded by Suburban Land Agency for the Western Edge Investigation Area).
• Monitoring fish in the Cotter River in response to the release of environmental flows and monitor the continuing impact of the 2020 bushfires, advise on relevant catchment management and restoration activities.
• Ongoing monitoring and recovery activities in areas affected in the bushfires in 2020, including:
  • Monitoring of two species of montane spiney crayfish in affected bogs and streams;
  • Monitoring of Galaxiids in the Naas/Gudgenby catchment to assess recovery and advise ongoing instream and catchment management; and,
  • Fish recovery actions in the Cotter River including the installation of constructed habitats.
• Stocking urban lakes (including Lake Ginninderra, Lake Tuggeranong, Yerrabi Pond and Gungahlin Pond) with native fish species (Murray Cod and Golden Perch). The stocking of these species helps to balance lake ecosystems by introducing native predators to compete with pest species such as Carp, which are known to reduce the water quality of urban lakes. Stocked lakes are monitored to assess the success of native fish and changes in the fish community.
• Assessment of the instream recovery actions put into the Tharwa Murrumbidgee Reach that assist fish to cope with impacts from sand slugs due to upstream catchment erosion, warming water from climate change, and upstream water diversions from Tantangara Dam.
• Environmental DNA investigation of pest fish in the Nass Catchment.
• Establishment of a Fisheries Conservation Officer to implement angler education and enforcement activities to help protect our fish.

EPSDD continues to monitor the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions for endangered High-Country Bogs and Associated Fens, installed after the Orroral bushfire of 2020 to prevent erosion and incision, increase peat wetness and promote revegetation. In the summer 2023 all priority sites were visited by ACT Parks and Conservation Service staff and shade cloth structures and leaky weirs were maintained. Initial monitoring results indicate that the installed shade cloths have been effective at promoting recovery and survival of Sphagnum moss after the fire. The vegetation structure of the bog and fen ecosystem has recovered substantially, benefitting from a re-wetting of the landscape due to the La Nina event. In Autumn 2024, EPSDD removed shade cloths that now have enough vegetation to provide adequate shade for the underlying Sphagnum moss.

Healthy Waterways conducted targeted research, monitoring and modelling activities to support the development of plans for managing water quality in both urban and rural rivers:

• Research was conducted on the catchment sources of nutrients that drive blue-green algal blooms in Lake Tuggeranong and on efficacy of street-sweeping to enhance water quality;
• Support was provided for post-graduate research into sources of sediment into the Upper Murrumbidgee River Catchment;
• A pilot investigation was undertaken into sources of faecal indicator bacteria in ACT waterways.
• New streamflow monitoring equipment was installed in the Tuggeranong catchment, which will allow for the direct measurement of loads of nutrients and sediments entering the lake;
• Land use monitoring and asset evaluation programs were run that enable accurate water quality models to be created. Water quality models underpin the development of Healthy Waterways plans.
• A well-calibrated water quality model for Lake Tuggeranong was developed that is being used to evaluate the effectiveness of various options for mitigating water pollution in the catchment and lake.

ACT NRM works with key stakeholders to identify investment priorities, build partnerships, share knowledge and deliver programs that enhance waterways. ACT NRM is one of 54 regional natural resource management organisations across Australia and is hosted in the EPSDD. Over the past year, key activities included developing and implementing the Naas Gudgenby River Restoration Plan, conducting the Farm Dam Restoration Program and overseeing the Waterwatch volunteer monitoring program.

Icon Water monitors aquatic health indicators, water quality and quantity in catchments and shares this monitoring data with the ACT Government to support catchment management programs. Other key activities in 2023-24 included:

• Undertaking the annual Biological Monitoring Program to determine any impact on the Molonglo and Murrumbidgee Rivers from the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre. Over the period of 2022-23 there were no significant impacts detected to the health of the Molonglo River or Murrumbidgee River (reporting for 2023-24 was not available at the time of publishing this report card).
• Monitoring Macquarie Perch in the Cotter Dam as part of development approval consent conditions for the Enlarged Cotted Dam project. An annual spawning management plan meeting was held in September with key stakeholders from ACT Government, universities and environment regulators to adaptively manage environmental flows for the spawning period in October to December yearly.

The Upper Murrumbidgee Demonstration Reach (UMDR) is a regional partnership working across the ACT and NSW aiming to recover native fish and improve the health of the Upper Murrumbidgee River. A core focus of the group is protecting and restoring habitat and improving ecological functions of the Murrumbidgee River. With support from external organisations and funding sources, the UMDR conducts critical monitoring and restoration work in the Upper Murrumbidgee River extending beyond the boundaries of the ACT region. In 2023-24, monitoring and assessment work conducted to support better flow and fish management included a flow and barrier assessment, a habitat assessment between Tantangara Dam and Yaouk Road and Macquarie Perch surveys.

UMDR also conducted critical restoration work including the installation of low-cost instream habitats including fish hotels, lunkers, instream plantings and sediment retention fencing as well as reducing infestations such as Willow and Box Elder upstream of the ACT. UMDR also conducted a review of options to improve habitat complexity in sand affected streams, mapped weed infestations in NSW and ACT (lead by UMDR’s Adventurous Volunteers) and developed a Recovery Plan to support the UMDR Strategic Management Plan.

The Coordination Group will review The ACT and Region Catchment Strategy 2016-2046 (17.1 MB) and produce an updated strategic framework for integrated catchment management in the ACT and Region.

The Office of Water will:

• Continue the review of the policy and legislative framework for water quality;
• Develop a water science plan to inform universities of the future priorities for ACT water planning and management to support partnerships and co-investment;
• Research water quality processes in Lake Tuggeranong and Lake Burley Griffin catchments;
• Monitor water quality performance of catchments and Water Sensitive Urban Design assets;
• Model catchment water quality and efficacy of management actions in the ACT region as well as water resources of the Upper Murrumbidgee River Catchment;
• Support the re-introduction trials for green and golden bellfrogs into the ACT;
• Commence the Upper Murrumbidgee River Health and Monitoring Program to improve riparian and river health, water quality and habitat for endangered species; and,
• Continue the ACT Healthy Waterways program focusing on:
  • Drafting Healthy Waterways Plans, which outline pollution problems and solutions proposed by ACT Government for:
    • Lake Tuggeranong;
    • Lake Burley Griffin;
    • Lake Ginninderra; and,
    • Yerrabi Pond.
  • Continuing water quality research, monitoring and modelling to understand the sources of pollution entering lakes and waterways to prevent closures of lakes from blue-green algal blooms and excessive faecal coliforms. This will include:
    • Shifting blue-green algal research from Lake Tuggeranong to Lake Burley Griffin; and,
    • Researching sources of faecal coliforms in waterways across the ACT.

• Continuing efforts across government, businesses and residents to reduce the levels of stormwater flows and water pollution coming from green space and suburbs.
• Continuing catchment and instream works and restorations aimed at reducing the impact of sand deposits on river-bed habitats in the Nass, Gudgenby and Murrumbidgee rivers.

TCCS will continue:

• To maintain stormwater assets with a preventative maintenance program to reduce nuisance flooding, developing stormwater pipe network augmentation and renewal plans, upgrades to the stormwater network and implementing operation and maintenance programs for Healthy Waterways assets.
• Water quality monitoring in accordance the Environmental Protection Authority authorisation.
• Construction of retarding basins across multiple sites to reduce the intensity and volume of stormwater flows in urban creeks and protect downstream environments from flooding.
  • New works will include the design and construction of the Dickson Shopping Flood Prevention and Edison Park Ponds projects.
  • Stormwater upgrades will also commence on the Yarralumla Nursery Stormwater system.

ACT NRM will commence an Urban Rivers and Catchment Management Program. This Australian Government-funded program focuses on riparian restoration and community engagement activities to restore the health of urban waterways.

The Office of Nature Conservation will conduct monitoring activities such as fish monitoring at the Cotter and Murrumbidgee River as well as montane spiney crayfish monitoring.

EPSDD will undertake the next monitoring and maintenance regime for High Country Bogs and Associated Fens in spring 2024, consistent with the ACT Sphagnum Bog Rehabilitation and Monitoring Plan (2020–31) (17.1 MB).

Icon Water will continue to work collaboratively with land and water management agencies in the ACT region to support strategic catchment management. Icon Water will also continue to collect aquatic ecology, water quality and quantity data in catchments.

The UMDR will continue installing instream habitats and sand stabilisation works as well as weed control in priority areas with support from weed mapping. UMDR will also continue to facilitate projects and initiatives that support river management through collaborative cross border programs as specified by the UMDR’s management and action plans.

• ACT Ecological Network Dashboard
• The ACT and Region Catchment Strategy 2016-2046 (10.7 MB)
• Australian Capital Territory Fisheries Management Plan: Fish Stocking 2022-227 (1.6 MB)
• Bogs and Fens Ecosystem Condition Assessment
• Bushfires in the ACT – ACT State of the Environment
• Environment Protection Regulation 2005
• Icon Water – Drinking Water Quality Report 2022–23
• Identifying key ecological components to describe the condition of Sphagnum Bogs and Associated Fens and inform their management (3.4 MB)
• Monitoring Macquarie Perch in the Cotter Dam
• Murray River Crayfish Action Plan (900.6 KB)
• Naas and Gudgenby River Restoration Plan
• Sullivans Creek Re-naturalisation Plan
• Two-spined Blackfish Action Plan (792.1 KB)
• Water Quality Environment Protection Policy
• Water Resources Environmental Flow Guidelines
• Water Use and Catchment General Code

Outcome 2 activities conducted by the Office of Water and Icon Water are critical in supporting the sustainable use of water within the ACT. TCCS supports the ambitions of this outcome area through stormwater reuse activities.

The Office of Water and water sustainability

The Office of Water progressed the ACT Water Security Vulnerability Assessment Project to holistically assess the current and future vulnerability of ACT’s water resources and water-dependent socio-ecological systems. The project considers vulnerability of four themes of water security in the ACT Water Management Areas: water supply and demand (including potable water, non-potable water and environmental water); water quality; aquatic and riparian ecosystems; and water-related socio-economic values.

In 2023-24, the Office of Water completed Phase 1 of the Water Security Vulnerability Assessment Project. This phase created a repeatable tool to assess the vulnerability of ACT’s water resources and completed a baseline assessment of vulnerabilities in water quantity, water quality and aquatic ecosystem water needs as at 2050.

Icon Water water security activities

Icon Water actively plans for a growing Canberra and a future where climate change has impacted its systems. Icon Water routinely reassesses its water security, water catchment quality, drought management actions and wastewater systems to inform operating and investment decisions and build resilience. In 2023-24, Icon Water:

• Progressed development and implementation of an Integrated Water Management Program (IWMP), which aims to improve the resilience of the ACT's water and wastewater services in an integrated and coordinated way and supports future investment decisions to consider the whole water cycle. The IWMP will also help to achieve the objectives of Icon Water’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan, Circular Economy Plan and eMission Possible Plan.
• Updated its water security modelling using the latest data, science, and processes. The revised water resource modelling is forecasting that the water supply system is performing as required. However, looking longer term and factoring in population growth and impacts from climate change, Canberra may require its next water source by 2040. Planning for future water security and the ACT’s next water source is a key focus area of Icon Water’s IWMP.
• Progressed investigations into its next water source. Investigations considered new and augmented dams, additional river pumping, groundwater, demand management, purified recycled water for drinking, recycled water for non-drinking water purposes and desalination with a pipeline from the ocean. These investigations, and engagement occurring through Icon Water’s Our Water Future community engagement program, will inform Icon Water’s urban water supply planning.
• Continued to support water sustainability research through a Perpetual Endowment Fund with the Australian National University.
• Completed a number of actions identified in its Drought Management Plan which sets out actions required to prepare for extreme drought conditions. These actions included undertaking investigations into the feasibility of groundwater and purified recycled water as drought response measures and commenced a review of the Permanent Water Conservation Measures (PWCM) and Temporary Water Restriction (TWR) schemes.

Stormwater reuse

TCCS continues to operate and maintain the stormwater harvesting network and supply non-potable water to customers for irrigation purposes. TCCS liaise and consult with other directorates, agencies and consultants to develop plans for upcoming stormwater harvesting networks such as in Ginninderry.

In 2023, TCCS reduced mains usage by converting the Lennox Gardens irrigation system from 100 per cent potable water to lake water for all irrigation of turf. TCCS also installed new pumps at Lennox Gardens and Beach 1/Macdermot Place to support the irrigation of stormwater.

TCCS continues to seek additional customers to utilise the stormwater harvesting network for non-potable water purposes and undertake upgrade and maintenance activities.

The Healthy Waterways program in the Office of Water is trialling stormwater recycling for athletic fields. Water is being drawn from a water quality pond just below Kambah shops filtered and used to irrigate the Kambah Playing Fields adjacent to Kett St.

The Office of Water will commence the development of a long-term water security plan to provide strategic direction on priority activities associated with water quantity, water quality and access. The broad scope of this work will be founded through the refresh of the ACT Water Strategy and its Implementation Plan.

Icon Water plans to improve the resilience of the ACT's water and wastewater services by delivering an IWMP. Priority activities under this plan will include:

• Progressing investigations to shortlist water resource options including consideration of demand management and non-infrastructure options;
• Reviewing and updating PWCM and TWR schemes; and,
• Reviewing and updating Icon Water’s Drought Management Plan.

The Office of Water and Icon Water will continue to develop a coordinated plan of action to support the long-term water security of the ACT.

• Icon Water Business Strategy 2023–24 to 2026–27
• Office of Water
• Our Water Future | Icon Water
• Our Water Future - Phase One Findings Report Oct 2023

The ACT Government works with the ACT community to use water efficiently, and to ensure safe, clean water for recreation and the environment. The EPSDD and external organisations provide opportunities for the community to engage with water issues and care for our waterways. Community engagement has been essential in progressing catchment management and restoration work within the Territory.

First Nations water initiatives

ACT NRM and ACT OoW

The Office of Water and EPSDD Natural Resource Management (NRM) worked together to incorporate the Ngunnawal values and uses in the Catchment Health Indicator Program Report 2023. Through this collaboration of the OoW and NRM are now developing a Project Plan to support and capture more broadly Ngunnawal cultural values and uses across all five catchment areas. The Project Plan will build on the current Ngunnawal Aboriginal Water Assessment tool by providing training in Monitoring for Catchment Coordinators from a Western Science perspective. This will give the opportunity for the Ngunnawal community to build their capacity and contribute to future CHIP Reports and also adding another dimension to the cultural lens of the Ngunnawal Aboriginal Water Assessments.

Ngunnawal Aboriginal Water Assessment Tuggeranong Creek ACT

The Ngunnawal Community in partnership with the ACT Healthy Waterways completed three Ngunnawal Water Assessment on the original. The Tuggeranong Creek scored extremely high and valued in the cultural values and health while adjacent concrete drain and lake which scored really low on the indicators. The Ngunnawal Aboriginal Water Assessment specifically recognised the need to improve the biodiversity of the Tuggeranong Creek through to the Lake through native vegetation and cultural practices.

Ngunnawal Aboriginal Water Assessment Sullivan Creek

The ACT Natural Resource Management and the Ngunnawal Community completed Ngunnawal Water Assessments on Sullivans Creek ACT at the Dickson Wetlands and the Concrete Drain in Lyneham ACT. These Assessments were supported the Connecting Nature Connecting People initiative and had very good Ngunnawal Community engagement.

The Australian National University and Monash University

The Australian National University (ANU) and Monash University (MU) also attended the Ngunnawal Aboriginal Water Assessments and demonstrated their Aquatic Sound Listening technology. This technology involves recording underwater sounds as method to locate and measure aquatic biodiversity including freshwater fish populations – a key indicator of river health. Aboriginal people are extremely auditory people, and the community found the demonstrations highly engaging. In partnership with the Universities, this technology will be used to enhance future Ngunnawal Aboriginal Water Assessments.

Office Of Nature Conservation ACT

The Office on Nature Conservation have been working the with Ngunnawal Community to support a Ngunnawal Aboriginal Water Assessment on the Naas River after the completion of the Small Bodied Galaxion fish surveys. These Assessments will be completed over two days. This provides more opportunity for the Ngunnawal community to engage with the Ngunnawal Water Assessments and improved mapping of more values and uses.

Educational activities, community engagement and research activities

The Office of Water:

• Pilot tested the Healthy Waterways – Love the Lakes project to reduce phosphorus pollution from the highest fertiliser-use household gardens. A direct engagement approach was tested to locate and help the gardeners who apply the most phosphorus in the form of fertiliser and manures to make changes. Follow-up evaluation of this project is scheduled for spring 2024.
• Led a suite of activities to raise awareness about the importance of preventing stormwater pollution by garden nutrients, chemicals and organic matter. These activities included:
  • An ongoing media campaign that promoted key messages of the ACT Healthy Waterways program;
  • 3745 households receiving free, reusable ‘leaf bags’ to help manage leaf litter;
  • Educational artworks created by ACT school students installed at multiple local shopping centres; and
  • Ten Sculptural leaf cages installed at ACT public schools to help store leaf litter for use in compost and garden beds, and to raise awareness about the benefits of this practice.
• Conducted research activities including an analysis of non-market values of urban lakes and supported post-graduate research into community values of the Murrumbidgee River.

The ACT Government provides funds for the three ACT Catchment Groups (Ginninderra Catchment Group, Molonglo Conservation Group and Southern ACT Catchment Group). These catchment groups support hundreds of community volunteers to engage in stewardship of ACT river and lake catchments, share information specific to stormwater pollution with the wider ACT community, and provide general community engagement and environmental education activities related to catchment health.

ACT NRM initiated and supported:

• Multiple Environmental Grant projects delivering tangible environmental and catchment health outcomes and increasing community connection to nature;
• The Community Education and Environment Stewardship initiative supporting community groups to drive engagement and awareness to improve catchment health with reporting showed an increased number of individuals engaging with ACT environmental programs;
• Catchment monitoring undertaken by Waterwatch volunteers. Over 200 volunteers participated in over 2000 water quality, aquatic macroinvertebrate and Riparian condition assessments
• Group surveys by over 200 community members for aquatic mammal including platypus and rakali
• Platypus walks along local waterways to spot platypus and learn more about their ecology
• The Connecting Nature, Connecting People program to deliver multiple outcomes improving Canberran’s connection with nature and understanding of the importance of environment and catchment health;
• Restoration of 20 urban green spaces throughout Canberra; and,
• The Canberra Urban Biodiversity Surveys that surveyed five taxa groups cross urban ACT catchments.

The Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment Network (UMCN) is a network of individuals, community groups, businesses and organisations (government and non-government) committed to improving natural resource management in the Upper Murrumbidgee Catchment. The UMCN is strongly supported by core funding from the Coordination Group. Over the past year, UMCN activities included:

• Submissions and presentations focussing on matters related to the Upper Murrumbidgee River;
• Promotion of the Australian River Restoration Centre’s Community Survey on the management of the Upper Murrumbidgee River with results now informing water management in the region;
• Quarterly General Meetings focussing on community and stakeholder education and engagement, including knowledge exchange on key catchment and water management issues;
• Hosting a site visit to the Icon Water treatment plant and the conservation work being undertaken by the Ginninderry Conservation Trust;
• Surveying members on communication and engagement with results showing a 90% satisfaction rate with UMCN membership.

A key focus for the UMDR is to raise awareness and engage the community in protecting and improving the health of the Upper Murrumbidgee River. Activities conducted the past year included:

• Conducting UMDR Adventurous Volunteer whitewater skills training to build volunteer capacity to navigate the river corridor and assist with projects that improve river health.
• Developing educational activities and materials including running field days about issues affecting the Murrumbidgee River and content for the Australian River Restoration Centre’s Forgotten River website.
• Developing a European Perch angling volunteer program which includes being able to notify sightings of European Perch upstream of the ACT on the Feral Fish Scan portal as well as running a community awareness campaign.
• Conducting two native fish workshops and a weed control workshop at Michelago and Smiths Road.

Icon Water’s key educational and community engagement activities included:

• The Our Water Future customer and community engagement program as part of Icon Water’s broader Let’s Talk Water and Wastewater engagement program. The Our Water Future engagement program is being delivered over four phases and are intended to inform development of Icon Water’s Water Security Plan. The engagement program commenced in September 2023 and is expected to run through to 2026. Phase one of the program included a community survey, interviews with a selection of high consumption customers, interviews with our key account customers and two citizens’ panel sessions. Later phases of the engagement program are expected to include discussion panels with specific interest groups as well as input from the broader Canberra community.
• Digital webinars, online resources, and face to face educational tours of key dams and major plants as part of the Icon Water Education program delivered to school students and a range of community and industry groups.
• Communication programs focused on increasing water and wastewater knowledge. Key messages include an ongoing focus on PWCMs and the Free the Poo campaign. Broader communication activities also included:
  • Waterwise behaviours – focusing on community water knowledge and PWCM.
  • Source water protection – sharing information about ways to enjoy recreation in catchment areas without negatively impacting the environment.
  • Financial support – making sure Canberrans know about bill payment assistance programs.
  • Drink tap – keeping hydrated and reducing the use of single use plastics.
• Financial and in-kind assistance for organisations that provide valuable community services and programs as part of Icon Water’s Community Support Program.

The Office of Water will conduct a review of community surveys on social values of blue-green infrastructure.

The UMCN will continue to work on enabling better catchment and water management outcomes for the Upper Murrumbidgee River. Key planned activities include:

• Ongoing coordination of cross jurisdictional water management and related issues;
• Working toward securing increased and adaptive environmental water releases from Upper Murrumbidgee storages; and,
• Holding the bi-annual UMCN Forum in late 2024 with a focus on the outcomes for the Upper Murrumbidgee and the significant recent policy changes.

The UMDR will continue to carry out engagement activities, including webinar and field days, that raise community awareness and conduct work that improves the health of the Upper Murrumbidgee River. A key planned activity includes conducting a European Perch awareness campaign to raise awareness about the spread of European Perch upstream of the ACT.

Icon Water will continue to implement a range of programs, including Icon Water’s Education Program, designed to increase water and wastewater literacy in the Canberra community. Campaigns will include ‘drink tap’ and ‘water wise’ behaviours. Community and stakeholder engagement will be a key component of Icon Water’s Integrated Water Management Program.

• Catchment Health Indicator Program 2023 (15.2 MB)
• The Forgotten River survey results
• Icon Water - Business Strategy 2023–24 to 2026–27
• Icon Water -Our Water Future Community Engagement Program
• UMCN tour of Icon Water’s treatment plant
• Icon Water - Wastewater treatment
• Streamflow and rainfall data available at ACT Government Open Data Portal
• Ubrihien, Rodney & Dyer, Fiona & Thompson, Ross & Guillaume, Joseph & O'Connell, Joseph & Tschierschke, Alica & Morcom, Rhys & Cross, Yasmin & McGrath, Kyle & Noujaim, Nathan & Gluck, Taylor & Mallet, Max & McDonald, Britt & Clear, Rachel. (2020). Title: Lake Tuggeranong Research Project Report: Stage 3 10.13140/RG.2.2.13068.03203.