Monitoring the health of our much-loved catchments

Our waterways and wetlands are some of our most valued assets. They are the arteries of our landscape and support a range of habitats for diverse wildlife. They also form an integral part of our coastal lifestyle and our livelihoods.

Recognising the importance of our waterways and their catchments, council is committed to their preservation and enhancement. The Environment and Liveability Strategy has a target to achieve consistently good to excellent grades across our river catchments by 2041.

Each year, through the Environment Levy, council supports the Healthy Land and Water Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program. This program is one of the most comprehensive waterway monitoring programs in Australia. A report card is produced each year that scores our region's major catchments. The report card helps us to track our progress and identify areas needing improvement.

Guided by our strategy, council is implementing a number of environmental projects to ensure our waterways and wetlands are healthy and resilient to change. This includes investment of Environment Levy funds in programs to reduce sediment entering our waterways through improved practices in construction management and erosion and sediment control.

Learn more about the Program by visiting the Healthy Land and Water website or viewing the latest report card results.