Dandenong Catchment
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See the ‘Dandenong Catchment’ page for a detailed description of the catchment.
This Report Card provides an overview of water quality in the Dandenong catchment from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016. The quality of the water is given an overall score by combining the results of six standard water quality parameters: nutrients, water clarity (turbidity), dissolved oxygen, salinity (conductivity), pH (acidity/alkalinity) and metals.
In 2015–16 water quality in the Dandenong catchment was ‘Very Poor.’
Summary Table: The table below shows area-weighted distribution of site scores based on subcatchments. Scores are averaged in subcatchments with mutliple sites. See scoring method for more information.
Area | Score |
---|---|
0% |
Very Good
|
2% |
Good Near naturally forested area at the base of Mt Dandenong |
0% |
Fair
|
0% |
Poor
|
98% |
Very Poor Small streams in urban and industrial areas |
The routine monitoring at 16 sites give us information for about 71 per cent of the catchment. Approximately five per cent of the catchment was not included due to incomplete data, which resulted from the unsafe access to waterways in the catchment. The remaining 24 per cent of the unmonitored catchment is a mix of rural and urban land use, which would typically score as ‘Very Poor’ in this region.
See the Monitoring Programs page for changes to the monitoring program.
The section 'Changes over time’ compares these annual index scores and indicators with the Dandenong’s scores from previous Report Cards (since 2000). Results can also be compared to other catchments.
Site-specific details about parameters can be accessed via the map.
Water quality in the Dandenong catchment is ‘Very Poor’.
Urban and industrial land use dominates much of the Dandenong catchment. Runoff from these areas carries pollution to the waterways, which reduces waterway health. Concentrations of nutrients and metals (copper, lead, zinc and chromium) are often high due to runoff from industrial areas and roads.
Historically, many waterways in the Dandenong catchment were straightened or concrete-lined to increase their effectiveness in draining away water and reducing floods. However, this has removed natural meanders in the waterway and destroyed a lot of stream habitat, which, along with polluted run-off has decreased water quality in these waterways. For example, clearing trees around a waterway reduces shade and increases water temperature, which decreases dissolved oxygen.
The exception to this ‘Very Poor’ score is the relatively undisturbed monitoring site on the edge of the forest in the upper reaches of the Dandenong catchment (see Dandenong Creek, Doongalla Forest). At this location, the WQI scores ‘Good’ because the environment is closer to its natural state. This was the only location in the Dandenong catchment with low metal concentrations, demonstrating the source of these inputs to be from industrial and urban areas within the catchment.
Despite the catchments scoring ‘Very Poor’, these waterways continue to sustain considerable populations of fish, frogs and birds. The region’s significant wetlands (Edithvale-Seaford wetlands) are recognised for their valuable diversity of waterbirds under the Ramsar Convention.
Short-lived environmental and extreme weather events can impact water quality in waterways. Long-term dry spells can result in reduced river flows, increases in salinity and algal blooms, while heavy rainfalls can cause flooding, river bank erosion, and wash sediments, nutrients and pollutants into waterways.
Rainfall was below average in 2015–16. The Bureau of Metrology (2016) noted seven days during the year when significant rainfall (between 20–42 mm) was recorded.
Outside of these dates, no significant environmental or weather events were recorded for the period that would have significantly affected water quality.
Bar chart of WQI and indicator scores for Dandenong Catchment.
Hendersons Creek, Upper Dandenong. Source: Melbourne Water
Dandenong. Source: Melbourne Water
Looking at the scores for the Dandenong catchment going back to 2000, there is a general trend of ‘Very Poor’ water quality scores.
The water quality has most likely been influenced by urban and industrial development in the catchment over the past two decades, particularly around Hallam, Cranbourne, Lynbrook and Berwick.
Some sites have shown very slight improvements since the drought broke in 2010, but scores have remained ‘Very Poor’ due to high concentrations of metals and nutrients that originate in this catchment’s large industrial and urban areas. The assessment of water quality in 2015–16 is essentially unchanged from the water quality results of 2014–15.
Plot of WQI history for Dandenong Catchment
What's happened?
The Government, authorities and community have implemented the following initiatives to improve waterway health in the Dandenong catchments:
Melbourne Water
Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA)
For more information about projects and works for the Dandenong catchment in 2015–16, please see the Melbourne Water Waterways Local Updates.
What's planned
A number of priority areas and actions have been identified in the Dandenong catchment to build on existing projects and initiatives. These include:
The following figures show a comparison of scores for each water quality indicator in the catchments and Port Phillip Bay.