Plenty River
The Plenty River and its tributaries flow from the headwaters around Whittlesea to where it joins the Yarra near Viewbank. Major tributaries include Barbers, Bruces, Scrubby and Jacks creeks. Two major domestic water storages (Yan Yean and Toorourrong) are found within the catchment. The river has a largely rural catchment with two major towns at Mernda and Whittlesea. The catchment becomes fully urban downstream of South Morang. In the upper forested reaches, rivers are ecologically healthy. As a whole, the river supports a range of rare and threatened flora and fauna species. Recent surveys have found spotted galaxias and short-headed lamprey. The Plenty Gorge is a major feature of the river and has Aboriginal heritage significance. Change in stream flow is a serious issue while other risks include:
- poor water quality,
- lack of streamside vegetation; and
- barriers to the migration of aquatic life.
The prospects for improving this river are good.
Melbourne Water has developed the Index of River Condition (IRC) program to provide an overall integrated measure of the environmental condition of rivers. To find out more about the health of these rivers and creeks visit Melbourne Water’s website or request Healthy Waterways Waterwatch data.
