February 23, 2026
Waterwatch and Estuarywatch have recently released their Annual Achievements Report showcasing the great work their citizen scientists have accomplished during 2024-25. The state-wide program has a mission to empower individuals and communities to become stewards of estuaries and rivers through data collection, education and engagement. It supports our Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) and Melbourne Water by providing volunteers with the opportunity to learn more about Victorian waterways and take stewardship over their local waterways.
Through the programs, citizen scientists play an important role by collaborating with researchers to increase scientific knowledge of our waterways. Waterwatch and EstuaryWatch volunteers work tirelessly to assess aquatic species and habitats, record observations and monitor water quality and litter. They also monitor and collect data relating to birds, fish, platypus, frogs and water bugs. Workshops are held periodically with regional coordinators to build expertise, skills and share knowledge with the volunteer network.
Waterwatch and Estuarywatch volunteers should be applauded for their significant contribution to the program. During 2024-25, there were 449 volunteers who contributed an incredible 14,750 hours of citizen science. The importance of citizen science cannot be understated, the data collected reveals long-term trends, detects issues early and informs decisions about the future of our waterways
Further to this, 5,323 people attended Waterwatch and Estuarywatch events and information stalls, 990 people took part in litter citizen science, and 143 people engaged in platypus events and monitoring.
Throughout the year, 427 sites were monitored across the Corangamite, East Gippsland, Glenelg Hopkins, Goulburn Broken, Melbourne, North Central, North East and West Gippsland catchments.
A significant highlight for the Waterwatch and Estuarywatch program was the upgrade of their website and data portal. The redevelopment was shaped by their volunteers, waterway managers, data scientists, and researchers to ensure it meets the needs of everyone who uses it. The upgrade features a new user-friendly data dashboard and a water quality rating system. To understand the health of your local waterways, the new tool allows users to explore sites across Victoria and, where sufficient data exists, see each parameter rated as Good, Moderate, Poor, or Very Poor.
WATERWATCH & ESTUARYWATCH ACHIEVEMENTS BY REGION
In the Corangamite region, 195 volunteers monitored 114 across the catchment. The Curdies EstuaryWatch volunteers kept the community and stakeholders aware of the conditions at the Curdies River estuary during an unusually dry summer and fish death event. Volunteers began additional testing and monitoring identified an unusually high phosphorus reading. In fact, it was the highest phosphorus reading they had ever recorded and the finding triggered further investigation by authorities. The initial results indicted that low dissolved oxygen and a dinoflagellate algal bloom were the likely cause of the fish death event. The EstuaryWatch volunteers played an important role in identifying a change in conditions at the estuary, the need for further investigations and community alerts. The monitoring activities and historical data have been used to inform the Curdies River Coordinating Committee, a committee works in collaboration to improve the health of the Curdies River and its tributaries.
In East Gippsland, six WaterWatch volunteers monitored three sites in the catchment. In 2024, members of the well-established Friends of the Gippsland Lakes (FOGL) approached East Gippsland CMA to get involved in the WaterWatch program. East Gippsland CMA provided initial testing kits, training and support for the group to get started. As a new WaterWatch volunteer group, the team manage three sampling sites that are regularly tested. The group received funding via a Landcare grant, and recovered equipment from other groups, to acquire additional equipment to expand into nutrient testing (phosphates and nitrates).
They are also working to encourage community involvement, the group have hosted an ‘open day’ at one of their easy access testing sites. A local primary school enthusiastically attended an open day which spread interest amongst other schools in the area. The volunteers would like to expand into the taxonomy side of WaterWatch, collecting information on the bugs and critters, and hope to see the program grow and expand in East Gippsland as it is a valuable citizen science program.
In West Gippsland, 19 volunteers monitored 20 sites in the region. Through the monitoring program, WaterWatch volunteers help keep the CMA’s environmental water team informed about water quality at the different sites which helps to guide management decisions to preserve the health and ecological functioning of our waterways.
In the Glenelg Hopkins region, 15 volunteers monitored 12 sites in the region. The Hopkins & Merri EstuaryWatch program volunteers faced a challenging year as the severe drought conditions put pressure on the catchment’s waterways. The valuable data captured by volunteers highlights the complex interactions between ocean, estuary and catchment systems during these challenging seasonal conditions.
The volunteers monitoring the Merri River estuary, recorded a remarkable change in conditions at the Stingray Bay entrance. Typically, the entrance remains open year-round, however, volunteers recorded a drought-induced closure lasting over three months in 2025. It may be the longest continuous closure on record for this estuary mouth. Throughout the rare event, EstuaryWatch volunteers collected critical physical-chemical data throughout the closure and following the natural opening of the mouth during a storm tide event. According to Glenelg Hopkins CMA, this dataset could be a once-in-a decade – or even a century – record. The rare event, and the data collected by the program’s volunteers, highlights the value of citizen scientists and their role in recording environmental events.
The EstuaryWatch volunteers monitoring the Hopkins River estuary also recorded prolonged mouth closures, record beach berm heights, elevated water levels, and high-impact estuarine flooding. In response, three authorised Artificial River Mouth Openings (ARMOs) were conducted by the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority and Warrnambool City Council. EstuaryWatch volunteers monitored these events through the collection of monthly photo point and physical-chemical water quality data which provide essential insights into the ecological responses to these interventions.
In the Goulburn Broken region, 16 WaterWatch volunteers monitored 34 sites in the region through regular sampling of water quality and visual inspections. The catchment is home to seven of 11 known Victorian populations of the nationally endangered Macquarie perch and WaterWatch volunteers played a role in supporting the species. Through the combination of local knowledge and scientific monitoring, the data collected by WaterWatch volunteers in the catchment directly contributed to decisions made by Goulburn Broken CMA waterway managers, and other authorities, to ensure the survival of Macquarie perch populations in the catchment.
In Melbourne Water‘s catchment, 225 volunteers monitored 129 sites across the region. This included three EstuaryWatch, 126 WaterWatch, 81 platypus and 15 Waterbug Blitz program volunteers. Over the year, the Melbourne catchment had 3,964 participating in their event such as tree planting days and waterbug monitoring workshops. Also in the Melbourne catchment, the Merri Creek WaterWatch program had 1,208 volunteers across 23 sites and 396 event participants.
In the North Central region, 57 volunteers monitored 88 sites in the region. A strong partnership between North Central Catchment Management Authority, Djaara, and City of Greater Bendigo led to a good outcome for the billabong at Bendigo’s Botanic Gardens following reports of poor water quality. They worked together to respond to the concerns, with the help of WaterWatch volunteers monitoring data, the poor water quality in the billabong was detected early and addressed quickly.
In the North East region, 12 volunteers monitored 4 sites in the region. The Hooked on Native Fish event, hosted by North East CMA and the Rural City of Wangaratta, promoted local conservation efforts to improve native fish populations in local waterways. The event had more than 200 participants, learning about conservation efforts to improve waterway health, boost native fish populations and more.
LEARN MORE BELOW
Visit the following websites to learn more about these programs:
