Frequently Asked Questions By Volunteer Monitors
Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions by volunteer monitors:
- Who shall I contact if I find pollution in the waterway?
- How do we stop people dumping rubbish and prevent industry from polluting our waterways?
- What equipment do we need?
- How much does a Waterwatch kit cost?
- Does Healthy Waterways Waterwatch have equipment we can borrow?
- How do we replace, renew or repair our equipment?
- Where can I get litter-pickers?
- Who funds the Healthy Waterways Waterwatch Program?
- What should we sample / test?
- How much time does it take to conduct sampling?
- When and how often do I need to do testing?
- How many sites should we monitor?
- How can you tell if a waterway is polluted?
- I don't have a chemistry background can I still monitor waterways?
- Can my children be involved in Healthy Waterways Waterwatch?
- What happens to our data?
- Can we see a summary of our data so far?
- How do we know if our data is accurate?
If you can't find the answer to your question in the list above, why not contact us? We will be only too happy to help you.
1. Who shall I contact if I find pollution in the waterway?
If you find pollution in the waterway or observe someone dumping anything in the waterway or down a stormwater drain you can report it to EPA.
Report pollution to EPA's 24 hour Pollution Watch Line on:
Melbourne metropolitan area – 03 9695 2777 (24 hours)
Outside metropolitan Melbourne – 1800 444 004 (24 hours)
Or for more information on pollution, please visit the EPA website.
You can also report litterers to EPA's 24 hour toll free Litter Report Line on 1800 35 25 55.
2. How do we stop people dumping rubbish and prevent industry from polluting our waterways?
The EPA is responsible for stopping people dumping rubbish or polluting our waterways. They do this through environmental laws, policies and regulatory controls, education programs and by working in partnership with Victorian communities, including businesses, government, individuals and groups. Since the 1970s, EPA Victoria has required factory discharges to be connected to the sewerage system. If you see factory discharges entering a waterway, report it to EPA immediately.
Reporting polluters
If you observe someone dumping anything down a stormwater drain you can report it to EPA through their 24 hour Pollution Watch Line:
Melbourne metropolitan area – 03 9695 2777 (24 hours)
Outside metropolitan Melbourne – 1800 444 004 (24 hours)
Reporting Litterers
Litter dropped in the street will be swept into street drains next time it rains, ending up in our creeks, rivers, beaches and bays.
Report litterers to EPA's 24 hour toll free Litter Report Line on 1800 35 25 55.
3. What equipment do we need in order to monitor our waterways?
The equipment you need depends on the type of monitoring you will be doing. Monitoring can be low-key and relatively simple, such as taking photographs, or more ambitious for example testing temperature, turbidity, pH, Electrical Conductivity EC (indication of salinity), dissolved oxygen and phosphorous. A Healthy Waterways Waterwatch Coordinator is the best person to talk to about your specific needs, please contact us for more information.
4. How much does a Waterwatch kit cost?
Waterwatch kits cost between $500 & $1000. A Healthy Waterways Waterwatch Coordinator is the best person to talk to about your specific needs, please contact us for more information.
5. Do you have equipment we can borrow?
We have a limited amount of monitoring equipment available to loan to groups. To ensure it is accessible to all groups, equipment will generally be hosted at different locations in the region. To borrow a Waterwatch kit, please contact us.
6. How do we replace, renew or repair our equipment?
All equipment owned by Healthy Waterways Waterwatch Program is maintained on a yearly basis and repaired or replaced when necessary. We can also maintain equipment owned by other groups, such as local government and community groups. This is done on the condition that the equipment is maintained during the same timeframe and the cost of maintaining equipment is covered (local government only). If your kit needs maintaining please contact us for assistance.
7. Where can I get litter-pickers from?
Litter-pickers are widely available. Most gardening and hardware stores sell litter-pickers.
8. Who funds Healthy Waterways Waterwatch Program?
Healthy Waterways Waterwatch Program is administered and sponsored by Melbourne Water. It is also funded by the Department of Sustainability and Environment’s “Vision for Werribee Plains” and local governments in the Port Phillip and Westernport catchment area.
9. What should we sample/test?
How and what you monitor depends on the issues affecting your waterway and why you are gathering information about it. Monitoring can be low-key and relatively simple, for example taking photographs. Your monitoring can also be more ambitious, for example testing temperature, turbidity, pH, Electrical Conductivity EC (indication of salinity), dissolved oxygen and phosphorous.
10. How much time does it take to conduct sampling?
Monitoring can take up to an hour, but this varies depending on what you are monitoring.
11. When and how often do I need to conduct testing?
We recommend a minimum of four times per year, once per season (winter, spring, summer and autumn). However, this can vary and depends on the issues affecting the waterway and why you are gathering information about it. Some groups may choose to monitor more frequently, for example monthly. Monitoring groups may consist of a couple of individuals, or a whole team may get involved, taking regular measurements and samples. You should never monitor on your own.
12. How many sites should we monitor?
It’s up to the individual and the purpose of your monitoring. Your Waterwatch Coordinator can help you determine an appropriate number of sites to monitor.
13. How can you tell if a waterway is polluted?
When you visit a waterway you very quickly form an opinion on whether it's healthy. Of course, most of your judgement is based on what you see, but you can break this down into a number of areas as well. How much litter is around? How healthy and mixed is the vegetation? How clear is the water? Does the water smell? (It's not wise to taste water from waterways.) Many pollutants, such as chemicals, nutrients, salt and bacteria can be difficult to see and smell, by participating in Healthy Waterways Waterwatch and monitoring the water quality at your local waterway you will also get an indication if the waterway is polluted.
14. I don't have a chemistry background can I still monitor waterways?
Yes. Anyone can be involved in monitoring our waterways. Healthy Waterways Waterwatch monitors are taught how to use water testing kits to monitor the quality of local waterways. Volunteer monitors can also perform observations about the waterway, including habitat assessments and photopoint monitoring, which do not involve the use of water testing equipment.
15. Can my children be involved in Healthy Waterways Waterwatch?
Yes. There are a wide range of Waterwatch activities for children. To find out more, please visit the Activities for Kids section of this website.
16. What happens to our data?
Data collected by Healthy Waterways Waterwatch monitors is particularly useful in helping to identify pollution entering our waterways. This information helps to identify what action can be taken at a local level to improve the health of rivers and creeks. Healthy Waterways Waterwatch data can also provide an historical record of how river systems have changed over time. The data can help to identify problems and show if activities to fix the problems are working. To access your healthy waterways data, please contact us.
17. Can we see a summary of our data so far?
Yes. To access a summary of specific Healthy Waterways Waterwatch data, please fill out this data request form or contact us.
18. How do we know if our data is accurate?
Monitors are trained to be vigilant about the accuracy of their data. Monitors are taught to calibrate their equipment and attend Quality Assessment Quality Control (QAQC) events to self-assess their monitoring competencies to improve the accuracy of their monitoring data.
