Flooding and stormwater management

Reflecting on his younger years, Manningham resident, John Rogan, recites a quote from Kenneth Grahame’s classic novel The Wind in the Willows: “Believe me my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats”.

Growing up in Mordialloc, which lies on Port Phillip Bay where it meets the Mordialloc Creek, John was compelled to the water early in life.

He realised its value and significance, as well as our moral obligation to care for it.

Now in his retirement, John’s appreciation and esteem for our waterways has not wavered.

He is calling for the community to consider our legacy for future generations and how we can all contribute to a sustainable water future.

“Unfortunately, the water supply available on Earth is limited. We need to think about how our decisions today might impact the health and resilience of our waterways,” John said.

Throughout his life, John has been involved in several water related initiatives. Since 2019, he has also been volunteering with Waterwatch – a citizen science program for monitoring waterway health.

John and his fellow Waterwatch volunteers set out regularly to sample and test water from Mullum Mullum Creek. They provide results to both Council and Melbourne Water, which use the data to review trends across our waterways and consider opportunities for improvement.

At a local level, John urges us all to consider how we can contribute to a brighter water future. He also cautioned about some behaviours that could be impacting the health of our waterways.

“Whether you’re washing your car, rinsing paint brushes, or disposing of food items, chemicals or medications – you should be mindful of the harm your waste could cause to the environment and wildlife if it makes its way to a drain and into our waterways,” he said.

Find out how you can help reduce stormwater pollution with advice from Victoria’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

“Our waterways are important habitat – they’re like a superhighway for native wildlife.

“We need to shift our mindset and consider that if we don’t dispose of this harmful waste responsibly, it will travel directly to someone else’s home or habitat. Before you dispose of something down the sink or drain, I urge you to think about the platypus and rakali that live in our waterways,” he said.

John also added that if we mindfully care for our local waterways, it will also have a positive impact on a much larger scale.

“Water is vital to the health and wellbeing of our community. It is vital to the liveability and resilience of Manningham and beyond – as it makes its way from our local creeks to the Yarra River and through to Port Phillip Bay.

“We all have a role to play in protecting our waterways for the benefit of our community, environment and native wildlife,” John said.

We are undertaking various flood and stormwater management initiatives, aimed at building a more resilient and liveable Manningham and to facilitate robust planning for the future.

This includes developing a draft Integrated Water Management Strategy, which will identify opportunities to adapt to a more water constrained future. We’re also undertaking flood mapping for Manningham in partnership with Melbourne Water to better understand flood risk.

Watch a short video featuring John Rogan and his work with Waterwatch here.

Do you have a strong connection with our waterways?

We’re sharing a series of community stories, like John’s, to acknowledge and celebrate the significance of our local waterways, and their many social and cultural values.

Your ‘Water Stories’ could relate to your connection to our waterways through family, history, culture, recreation, health and wellbeing or be related to how you care for water in your home or business. Water stories submitted by community members may be shared via our communications channels and in the draft Integrated Water Management Strategy, which will be prepared for formal public exhibition in early 2026.

Submit your story at manningham@manningham.vic.gov.au

Thank you to all applicants who recently registered their interest to join the Manningham Flooding and Stormwater Management Community Reference Panel (CRP).

We appreciate you offering your time to contribute to this important area of work for our community.

We’re now reviewing the submissions and will notify applicants of the outcome in early January.

We hope to announce our new CRP members by mid-January 2025.

The Flooding and Stormwater Management Community Reference Panel (CRP) has continued meeting throughout 2024, contributing valuable community insights to help guide the development of our:

• Manningham Flood Mapping Project
• Stormwater Management Policy
• Integrated Water Management Strategy.

Below is a summary of the key points as discussed at our most recent meetings:

Flood modelling and mapping

• An explanation of the differences in behaviour between local catchment and regional scale riverine flooding was provided to the CRP.
• Melbourne Water and Council are jointly working to deliver the flood modelling and mapping for Manningham. Flood modelling is underway in respect of the Ruffey Lake, Mullum Mullum Creek, Jumping Creek, Brushy Creek and Andersons Creek catchments.
• Independent peer reviews of the flood models are being undertaken on a catchment-by-catchment basis.
• The process for verifying the flood modelling results was also presented by Council’s flood modelling consultant.
• Flood management approaches, including capital works, asset management and maintenance, community education and flood modelling and the roles of Melbourne Water and Council, were discussed with the CRP. The importance of flood modelling in informing understanding of flood risk was presented to the CRP.

Stormwater Management Policy

• With the assistance of the CRP, Council has developed a Stormwater Management Policy, which was adopted by Council on 16 September 2024.
• Work on data driven capital drainage project prioritisation to mitigate flooding is also underway.
• The Integrated Water Management (IWM) Strategy focuses on the whole water cycle and overarches the Stormwater Management Policy. The flood mapping work will inform the proposed IWM Strategy and future drainage capital works priorities.

Proposed Integrated Water Management Strategy

• The role of the CRP in developing the IWM Strategy was discussed and includes:
  • assistance with developing options to address stormwater management risks
  • input into community messaging and engagement
  • review of the draft strategy and action plan prior to broader community engagement
  • discussion of themes arising from community submissions from the public exhibition.
• It was reported that applications were successfully made for grant funds from Melbourne Water to part fund consultancy services in support of the IWM Strategy development.
• E2Designlab were engaged to provide technical support for the IWM Strategy development and presented to the CRP.
• The CRP developed Manningham’s draft vision for the IWM Strategy as follows: Manningham is an adaptable community that values water as a vital resource for present and future generations. Through sustainable integrated water management, we will conserve water, improve waterway health, reduce flood risk and support community wellbeing.
• Work is underway on the development of an IWM Masterplan, which will identify potential projects for delivery through the proposed IWM Strategy Action Plan. Projects are proposed to include stormwater harvesting and stormwater quality improvement opportunities such as wetlands.
• The CRP has been engaged in shortlisting projects for inclusion in the Master Plan and the development of project prioritisation criteria. Preliminary shortlisting from 30 potential projects, down to five, has been completed. Concept plans, asset benefits and cost estimates will be developed for the preferred five projects.
• The CRP has been engaged regarding community engagement initiatives including the Water Stories campaign and a proposed community roadshow.
• On the first anniversary of the CRP, Chair Councillor Lange recognised the CRP members and thanked them for their contribution.

More information

• Manningham Flood Mapping Project FAQs
• Integrated Water Management Strategy FAQs

Full meeting minutes are available via the links below:

• Thursday 9 November 2023
• Wednesday 27 March 2024
• Thursday 13 June 2024
• Thursday 15 August 2024

We’re inviting community members to submit an expression of interest to join the Manningham Flooding and Stormwater Management Community Reference Panel (CRP).

This is your opportunity to make an impact on how we sustainably manage our water resources, care for our environment and manage flood risk into the future.

The CRP will be comprised of community members from a range of areas across Manningham and be generally representative of the diversity of our community.

What does the CRP do?

The CRP helps shape our flooding and stormwater management approach by bringing a community perspective to the development of Manningham’s Flood Mapping Project and proposed Integrated Water Management Strategy.

The Strategy will consider how we can:

• decrease the volume of urban stormwater runoff and discharge of pollutants to waterways
• contribute to urban greening and amenity
• increase the use of alternative water sources like stormwater
• reduce the impacts of flooding on communities.

Who can lodge an Expression of Interest?

Individuals who owns land and/or live in Manningham, and who are actively participating in the Manningham community with direct community links or those who work or study in Manningham are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest.

Applicants with relevant lived experience, background knowledge or interest or skills in the following areas are encouraged to apply:

• water management and understanding of the water cycle
• stormwater management including storage and treatment options,
• water and the natural environment including watercourses in Manningham
• climate change impacts, adaptation and resilience
• water or environmental engineering
• biodiversity and the natural environment
• flooding in localised areas of Manningham
• risk management
• city planning
• public communications and engagement
• other relevant experience, background knowledge or interest or skills to be specified by the applicant.

How many community members do we need?

We’re looking for three new panel members.

Interested to learn more?

• Community Reference Panel - Terms of Reference
• Expressions of Interest Overview
• FAQs

How can I register my interest?

Complete the webform below to express your interest, or download a PDF version.

Community Reference Panel Expressions of Interest form

Need help?

If you need help to complete the form, please contact:

Roger Woodlock, Integrated Water Management Strategic Lead on 9840 9333 or via email at manningham@manningham.vic.gov.au

Applications close 11.59pm Friday 29 November 2024.

This National Water Week (21-27 October), we’re encouraging Manningham households to take part in Target 150.

Target 150 is a voluntary water-efficiency initiative to get us thinking about how much water we use. It encourages us to limit our water consumption to 150 litres per person, per day.

For most people, this means only saving another two litres of water – less than half a bucket of water a day. Simple changes to our every day habits, such as only running the dishwasher when it’s full, can help conserve water.

Check your water bill to see if you’re hitting the target and try these water saving tips:

• shorten your shower time by one minute
• brush your teeth with the tap off
• fix any leaks
• scrape plates instead of rinsing them, before loading the dishwasher
• place a container in the sink to catch water when preparing vegetables or washing fruit
• use a broom to sweep the driveway, instead of using a hose.

Melbourne’s population growth means we’ll likely need to double our water supply in the next 50 years. Our climate is changing with hotter and drier weather forecast. Climate change makes rainfall less reliable and reduces river flows.

Melburnians are already using more water on average each year than flows into our storages, with desalinated water meeting this gap.

Water is life and by changing behaviours to save water amongst a range of other actions, we can all contribute to the achievement of a sustainable water future.

Read more tips and tricks to save water here

Water is a valuable resource and plays a vital role in connecting us all. It is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of our community, as well as the resilience and liveability of Manningham.

National Water Week (16-22 October) celebrates water innovation and achievements supporting Australia's sustainable future.

We are undertaking various flood and stormwater management initiatives, aimed at building a more resilient and liveable Manningham and to facilitate robust planning for the future.

This includes developing a draft Integrated Water Management Strategy, which will identify opportunities to adapt to a more water constrained future. We’re also undertaking flood mapping for Manningham in partnership with Melbourne Water to better understand flood risk.

Water management is a shared responsibility. To achieve greater environmental, social, cultural and economic benefits, we’re working closely with:

• Yarra Valley Water
• Melbourne Water
• government departments and agencies
• Manningham’s Flooding and Stormwater Management Community Reference Panel, and;
• the broader community.

Manningham Council is also a member of the Yarra Catchment Integrated Water Management Forum. The Forum provides a collaborative platform across the water industry to oversee, support and, where necessary, facilitate water’s contribution to resilience and liveability.

We can all contribute to a sustainable water future.

We encourage you to take a look Yarra Valley Water’s Target 155 voluntary water efficiency program. Target 155 encourages metropolitan Melbourne households to use water efficiently, aiming to limit water use to 155 litres per person per day.

We also welcome Yarra Valley Water’s plans to address discharge from ageing septic systems, which contribute to pollution in Mullum Mullum Creek. This will improve water quality in Mullum Mullum Creek and downstream in the Yarra River. A piped sewerage system is proposed to be constructed in a key area of Park Orchards by 2030. For more information, visit yvw.com.au/ParkOrchards.

Water is fundamental to the health and wellbeing of our community and the liveability of Manningham.

Southern Australia is forecast to receive less annual rainfall on average in coming years. This will reduce water availability from water supply catchments. Water demand is also expected to increase as our City grows.

Yet, our changing climate is also expected to bring greater intensity rainfall events, increasing our flood risk and periods of low rainfall with increased drought risk.

We’re working on various flood and stormwater management initiatives to build a more resilient and liveable Manningham.

Part of this work includes developing a draft Integrated Water Management Strategy. It will respond to emerging water challenges and identify opportunities to adapt to a more water constrained future.

Earlier this year, we invited the community to take part in Manningham’s Water Future survey. Thank you to those of you who shared how you use and conserve water and why it’s important to you.

Your responses paint a picture of a community that strongly values the Birrarung (the Yarra River) and our creeks, our environment and wildlife.

The top three reasons why the Birrarung (Yarra River) and Manningham creeks and lakes are important to survey respondents were:

1. They provide wildlife habitat and support biodiversity.
2. Promote connections with nature to support mental health and wellbeing..
3. Assist with cooling during hot weather and improve neighbourhood liveability.

You also told us some of the ways you’re already taking action to build our resilience and conserve water.

• 98% of respondents use front load washing machines, use dual flush toilets or only run washing machines with full loads.
• 41% of respondents use rainwater collected from private roofs for watering gardens, toilet flushing, carwashing and other uses.
• More than 85% of respondents also support the use of alternative water sources for garden watering, toilet flushing and laundry purposes.

These opportunities will be a key focus of the draft Integrated Water Management Strategy, which will be available for public exhibition in mid-2024.

More information:

• Integrated Water Management Factsheet
• Integrated Water Management Strategy FAQs

E2 Design Pty Ltd, trading as E2Designlab, has been appointed to assist us in developing Manningham’s Integrated Water Management Strategy.

An increasing population and changing climate are putting growing pressure on our water supplies.

This strategy will review flooding and stormwater management risks and respond to emerging challenges, including:

• population growth
• the forecast for reducing annual average rainfall moving forward;
• increasing flood and drought risk.

It will identify opportunities to reduce reliance on potable water, harness alternative water sources and contribute to planning for a resilient and liveable Manningham.

E2Designlab will assist with data gathering to:

• inform integrated water management targets for Manningham
• undertake investigations into potential integrated water management capital works improvements
• provide technical advice, identify and assess opportunities to inform the development of an action plan.

At its June meeting, Council endorsed a revised version of the Integrated Water Management Strategy Implementation Plan, including the following changes:

• referral of some actions to now be addressed though the development of the proposed Stormwater Management Strategy.
• updated reflection of State Government planning to advance Integrated Water Management in Victoria and the Yarra catchment including the recently received transition report.
• updates to the project communications approach and program.

We are also working alongside the Flooding and Stormwater Management Community Reference Panel (CRP) in the development of the strategy. The CRP has recently contributed to identifying and prioritising drivers for integrated water management for Manningham.

Once finalised, the drivers will guide the CRP and Council in developing a draft vision for integrated water management in Manningham.

The draft Integrated Water Management Strategy will be publicly exhibited in mid-2024, before final adoption early in 2025.

The fourth meeting of the Flooding and Stormwater Management Community Reference Panel (CRP) was held on 31 May 2023.

The CRP is helping to guide the development of the Manningham Flood Mapping Project and Integrated Water Management Strategy.

Summary of Flooding and Stormwater Management CRP Meeting 4 minutes:

• The focus of the meeting was on responding to questions previously raised by community members.
• Key differences between the previous and current flood mapping projects were presented, as well as a briefing on land use planning.
• Officers advised that it is proposed to develop a Flood (Stormwater) Management Strategy in parallel with the flood mapping and development of the Integrated Water Management Strategy. This strategy is proposed to be reviewed once the newly mapped flood extents have been developed.
• The CRP was also advised that:
  1. Afflux consulting was appointed to progress the local catchment flood mapping.
  2. Council would consider the updated Integrated Water Management Strategy Implementation Plan at its June meeting.

All meeting minutes will be available on the Your Say Manningham Flooding and Stormwater Management page.

More information

• Flooding and Stormwater Management Community Reference Panel Meeting 4 - Minutes
• Manningham Flood Mapping Project FAQs
• Integrated Water Management Strategy FAQs

The third meeting of the Flooding and Stormwater Management Community Reference Panel (CRP) was held on 29 March 2023.

Together with the CRP, we’re working to better understand and address increasing challenges to water management, including climate change, development pressure and population growth.

The CRP is helping to guide the development of the Manningham Flood Mapping Project and Integrated Water Management Strategy.

Summary of Flooding and Stormwater Management CRP Meeting 3 minutes:

• Luke Cunningham of Rain Consulting Pty Ltd delivered a presentation on ‘Flood Modelling Methodology and Mapping’, followed by a Q&A session.
• Feedback was sought from the Panel on the best ways for Council to communicate and engage with our diverse community on these complex issues.
• A range of questions were raised relating to:
  • how the current project differs from the previous flood mapping project
  • how the flood mapping will consider climate change impacts
  • questions around a potential Planning Scheme Amendment; and,
  • other matters.
• These questions will be addressed at the May 2023 Community Reference Panel meeting.

All meeting minutes will be available on the Your Say Manningham Flooding and Stormwater Management page.

More information

• Flooding and Stormwater Management Community Reference Panel Meeting 3 – 29 March 2023 - Minutes
• Manningham Flood Mapping Project FAQs
• Integrated Water Management Strategy FAQs