PAST RESEARCH PROGRAMS
Waterway Management Program
Program Leader: Dr Peter Hairsine,
CSIRO Land and Water
Core Projects
Publications
A complete list of publications and videos from this program
is available here
Aim
To provide catchment managers with appropriate and effective
measures to improve the physical condition of streams
and riparian zones.
Background
The previous decade saw major changes in stream management
and research in Australia. The job of returning natural
values to Australian streams is now shared by community
groups, landholders, local government, river management
authorities in city and country areas, State Government
agencies, and the Natural Heritage Trust. Research has
broadened from documenting physical and chemical processes
causing stream and water degradation, to including biological
aspects of stream rehabilitation and a whole-of-catchment
approach to water quality.
For rehabilitation works to be successful, practitioners
must have accessible, accurate information about the
streams and catchments they hope to improve. They need
answers to questions such as: Where are control works
best located within a catchment for the best stream
and water quality outcome? Through its Waterway Management
Program the CRC has found answers to such questions
by combining high-quality research with targeted technology
transfer and communication.
For example, the CRC developed a strategic catchment-wide
approach to improving water quality in the Tarago catchment
and Reservoir in West Gippsland, Victoria (Project W1).
The project was successful at a number of levels. An
independent economic analysis indicated a 4:1 benefit-to-cost
ratio for the catchment manager (Melbourne Water). And
in 1999, the CRC received an ‘Excellence in Technology
Transfer’ award from the CRC Association, recognising
the high level of stakeholder and community involvement
in the Tarago research.
Another technology transfer highlight has been the
development of the first Australian Stream Rehabilitation
Manual (Project W2) in association with the Land and
Water Resources Research and Development Corporation
(LWRRDC). The manual provides those responsible for
stream rehabilitation works with a broader context for
planning. It offers an introduction to stream recovery
processes, guidance in setting goals and developing
project frameworks, and case studies. The two volumes
of the manual have been published on the LWRRDC website
– www.lwrrdc.gov.au/publicat/ - and as a CD-ROM,
and as a print publication.
Other notable program achievements included the success
of the Second Australian Stream Management Conference,
held in Adelaide in February 1999. This conference,
which has become the leading river management conference
in Australia, attracted more than 400 people. They included
farmers, consultants, Rivercare staff, teachers, scientists,
State Government agency staff, and community representatives
– who discussed the cultural, socioeconomic and
ecological aspects of stream rehabilitation, broadening
the usual technical focus of such conferences. The CRC
was a principal sponsor and organiser of the conference,
and contributed more than 20 papers and presentations.
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