Catchment management and protection

Managing and protecting our catchments is essential to maintaining high quality, safe drinking water for our community.

What is a drinking water catchment?

Catchments are areas of land where rainfall collects in rivers and streams, or seeps into the soil to become groundwater. We use this naturally collected water for our own needs, storing it in reservoirs or tapping into our groundwater reserves.

Our water supply is sourced from eight main catchment areas:

  • Moorabool
  • Upper Barwon
  • Pennyroyal, Goslings and Matthews Creek
  • Gellibrand
  • Barham River
  • Lorne
  • Anglesea Groundwater Intake
  • Yarra – Thompson via Melbourne Geelong Pipeline (Managed by Melbourne Water)

Protecting our catchments

Maintaining healthy catchments is crucial in ensuring we’re providing our community with drinking water that’s safe and free from contamination. The quality of water from these catchments can vary greatly, depending on the level of human activity within them, such as agriculture and urban development.

While the majority of our catchment areas are within protected national parks, some are on private land. That’s why it’s important that we closely monitor and manage activity within our catchments to ensure they’re well-protected.

We’ve implemented a number of strategies aimed at protecting our catchments, including:

  • undertaking catchment risk assessments
  • planning and development controls
  • waterway monitoring, protection and rehabilitation
  • fire management
  • prevention of soil erosion
  • community education
  • appropriate land management practices
  • restricting recreation activity
  • promoting awareness of the impact of human activity on our water quality.

Restrictions on recreational activities

To maintain the health and water quality of our catchments and reservoirs, there are restrictions on the activities permitted in the recreational areas available to the community.

Many of these catchments are located within national parks. Visit Parks Victoria for additional information on the amenities and permitted activities within these sites.

Protecting catchments on private land

If you live or work in a catchment area, there are a number of steps you can take to help ensure the quality of our water. These include:

  • improving waterway frontages
  • preventing stock access to waterways
  • maintaining onsite wastewater treatment systems
  • preventing soil erosion
  • appropriate use of fertilisers, weed sprays and other chemical treatments.

For more information on landholders’ responsibilities in water supply catchments, please refer to the Department of Health and Human Services website.

Planning permit applications

Land use and development within and beyond our catchments is regulated through local planning schemes, administered by local government. Planning permits are commonly required before undertaking any new land use and/or development, and permit applications are generally referred to Barwon Water for comment. This allows us to assess the potential impact of the proposal on the catchment, and provide advice based on our assessment.

If you’re currently preparing a planning permit application, refer to the application checklist and considerations below to ensure you provide all the necessary information and minimise processing delays.

We can organise meetings for applicants wanting to discuss their planning proposal prior to submission. We recommend that attendees familiarise themselves with the requirements of their local council, as well as Barwon Water.

If you require any further information or want to arrange a meeting, please contact us.

Application checklist

Applications for land use and/or development within one of our water supply catchments should include, where applicable:

  • a plan of subdivision (if applicable)
  • a detailed site plan showing the proposed location of dwellings, outbuildings, dams, waterways, driveways, effluent disposal fields and wastewater treatment units (septic tanks)
  • a current Land Capability Assessment (undertaken by a geotechnical engineer) and wastewater management plan
  • if an existing wastewater treatment system is to be retained, information that demonstrates that the existing system is operating as required and is adequate for the proposed development
  • information regarding existing land use and development, and the proposed change to land use and/or development
  • any other information that supports the proposal.

General considerations

When assessing a planning permit application, the following criteria will be taken into consideration:

  • the proximity of the land to a water supply reservoir, off-take and/or waterway
  • the time taken for water from the site to travel to a water supply reservoir or off-take
  • the slope of the land
  • the presence of erosion on the site
  • rainfall and other climatic conditions for the region
  • soil type and other land capability characteristics
  • the existing vegetation cover and need to remove vegetation to accommodate the proposal
  • the intensity and/or size of the proposal
  • the link between the proposal and objectives contained in the land zoning
  • the extent of land forming required to accommodate the development
  • the existing lot, land use, and development patterns in the vicinity of the site (including dwellings)
  • any site remediation and/or improvement works that form part of the application
  • potential effluent loads generated by the proposal
  • the capability of the land to contain both effluent and stormwater on site
  • the amount of run-off likely to be generated
  • the density of dwellings and subsequently septic tanks in the surrounding area
  • whether the particular constraints of the site or area require a lower density of use or development
  • whether the proposal is consistent with any Land Use Determination or Special Area Plan applicable under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 or Soil Conservation and Land Utilisation Act 1958.

Use and/or development of land for a dwelling

Dwelling density

The guidelines for Planning Permit Applications in Open Potable Water Supply Catchment Areas specify where a planning permit is required to use land for a dwelling or to subdivide land, or where a planning permit to develop land is required pursuant to a schedule to the environmental significance overlay that has catchment or water quality protection as an objective, the default position should be:

  • the density of dwellings should be no greater than one dwelling per 40 hectares (1:40 ha); and
  • each lot created in the subdivision should be at least 40 hectares in area.

As provided for in the Guidelines for Planning Permit Applications in Open Potable Water Supply Catchment Areas, the density requirement does not apply if:

  • a permit is not required
  • if the dwelling is connected to reticulated sewerage
  • if the development is consistent with a catchment policy that has been prepared for the catchment and endorsed by the relevant water corporation following consultation with relevant local governments, government agencies and affected persons. The proposed development must be consistent with the catchment Policy
  • the water corporation is satisfied that the relevant Council has prepared, adopted and is implementing a Domestic Wastewater Management Plan (DWMP) in accordance with the DWMP requirements
  • the proposal does not represent an unacceptable risk to water quality.

While each dwelling in a catchment area adds to the risk posed to water quality in the catchment, Barwon Water recognises that land in townships (those areas included in township and low density residential zones) have a service function that delivers broad benefits to the local area.

To this extent, Barwon Water accepts that there is some development potential within existing townships, but supports the application of a hard urban edge around these township areas. When assessing a proposal, Barwon Water will consider the cumulative risk to the catchment based on the existing zoning of the land and the density of dwellings in the area.

Existing dwelling density is established by calculating the number of dwellings within a one kilometre radius of the site of the proposed dwelling.

Second dwelling on a lot

Where a second dwelling on a lot is proposed, the following matters will be taken into consideration:

  • whether the second dwelling is necessary to support a rural activity
  • whether the new dwelling can comply with the policy on density of dwellings
  • whether the landowner is prepared to enter into an agreement pursuant to Section 173 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 that would prevent any further dwellings from being constructed.

Replacement of an existing dwelling

Applications to replace an existing dwelling where the dwelling density guidelines cannot be met may be considered in the following circumstances:

  • replacement of an existing dwelling destroyed as a result of a natural event such as a bushfire
  • replacement of an existing dwelling by demolition and rebuilding where the:
    • dwelling has not yet been demolished
    • dwelling is currently occupied as a dwelling.

New development associated with a dwelling

All new development associated with a dwelling should be:

  • located on slopes of less than 20 percent
  • set back at least 100 metres from waterways forming part of the water supply catchment
  • on stable soils not prone to erosion.

Vegetated buffers should be provided along waterway corridors to reduce the risk of contamination from any water run-off from the land.

Land use (other than a dwelling)

Land users will be encouraged to adopt appropriate best practice environmental management, to promote improved water quality.

The following land use activities are discouraged in all zones within water supply catchments:

  • intensive animal husbandry

Outside of township areas, the following land use activities are discouraged:

  • industry

Building and works (other than those associated with a dwelling)

All new development other than those associated with a dwelling must be:

  • located on slopes of less than 20 percent
  • set back at least 100 metres from waterways forming part of the special water supply catchment
  • on stable soils not prone to erosion.

Vegetated buffers should be provided along waterway corridors to reduce the risk of contamination from any water run-off from the land.

Subdivision of land

Subdivisions will be discouraged:

  • on land that is unsuitable for on-site disposal of septic tank effluent in accordance with the Code of Practice for Onsite Wastewater Management (EPA publication 891.4, or as amended)
  • if a land capability assessment of the site indicates that effluent disposal will pose an unreasonable risk to water quality in the catchment
  • if the subdivision is within 300 metres of a domestic water supply reservoir
  • if the subdivision is creating lots less than 40 hectares in a rural zone and the land could be developed with a dwelling
  • boundary realignments that would provide an opportunity for another dwelling on lots of less than 40 hectares.

Where these types of subdivision are permitted, the land owner must enter into an agreement pursuant to Section 173 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 that would prevent development of a dwelling on the land.

House lot excisions will be considered subject to acceptable on-site effluent disposal and the land owner entering into an agreement pursuant to Section 173 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 that would prevent development of a dwelling on the remainder of the land.

Effluent disposal systems

All effluent disposal systems and associated infrastructure must meet the requirements of the Code of Practice for Onsite Wastewater Management (EPA publication 891.4, or as amended).

Effluent disposal areas must be kept clear of trees and shrubs to allow easy access should the system need to be replaced or dug out for maintenance.

Vegetation removal within a water supply catchment

Where vegetation removal or modification is proposed, it should be within the following limits:

  • located on slopes of less than 20 percent
  • setback at least 100 metres from waterways forming part of the water supply catchment
  • on stable soils not prone to erosion.