Boundary Creek and Big Swamp remediation
Since early 2020, Barwon Water has been delivering a remediation and environmental protection plan (REPP) for Boundary Creek, Big Swamp and the surrounding environment to identify and address the impacts caused by historical groundwater pumping activities at the Barwon Downs borefield.
The REPP was developed following 18 months of scientific studies, advice from independent technical experts and valuable community input through a community and stakeholder working group. This process was legally enshrined through a Section 78 Ministerial Notice (s78) issued by Southern Rural Water in 2018. In line with our adaptive management approach, the REPP has evolved over time in response to additional investigations, knowledge gained from monitoring, and in response to community, stakeholder and regulator feedback.
The REPP outlines the controls and actions that will be implemented to:
- Ensure no further harm from Barwon Water’s historic groundwater pumping or remediation actions.
- Protect the water quality and ecological values of the Barwon River.
- Improve the water quality and streamflows within Boundary Creek.
- Improve the ecological values of Big Swamp.
These controls and actions will remain in place until Barwon Water can demonstrate to Southern Rural Water, as the regulator, that successful remediation has been achieved.
The REPP is also underpinned by a comprehensive environmental monitoring program that monitors how the groundwater and surface water systems and ecological receptors are responding, and if there are any contingency measures required.
Further information and latest news on the Boundary Creek and Big Swamp Remediation can be found on the project’s dedicated Your Say webpage.
Progress to date
With decommissioning of the Barwon Downs borefield now complete, and notable recovery evident across the affected areas, the project is now moving into a watch and act phase, where we will continue to monitor how the system is responding and determine if further actions, such as the implementation of contingency measures, are required.
Further information regarding the remediation progress to date can be found on the project’s dedicated Your Say webpage.
Barwon Downs borefield decommissioning
The Barwon Downs borefield was decommissioned in April 2025.
The borefield had six production bores that pumped water from an underground aquifer system, 490 to 630 metres below the surface. This water was used to supplement drinking water supplies periodically between 1982 and 2016.
In June 2017, we acknowledged that historic groundwater pumping activities at the Barwon Downs borefield had led to a reduction in groundwater contribution from the Lower Tertiary Aquifer into select reaches of Boundary Creek, a tributary of the Barwon Rive, and commenced development of a remediation plan.
In 2019 we let our groundwater extraction licence expire and ruled out using water from the Barwon Downs borefield as an urban water supply.
For more information, please go to the project’s dedicated Your Say webpage.
