<< BACK TO CONTENTS As Victoria’s population has grown, many rivers and wetlands have continued to be modified to provide water for communities to grow and thrive. In some rivers, up to half of the water that would have naturally flowed in them is removed each year to provide water for farms, homes and industry. As a result, these waterways cannot function as they would naturally and we must actively manage how water flows through them. These managed flows are called ‘water for the environment’. Water for the environment is set aside in storages and released into rivers, wetlands and floodplains to support them, the plants that grow in them and the native animals that live, feed and breed in them. By improving the health of these waterways, water for the environment also provides benefits to communities. Healthy waterways sustain people by supplying water for towns, farms and businesses. They contribute to local agriculture, fishing, real estate, recreation and tourism activity. They make cities and towns more liveable and support the physical and mental wellbeing of communities. They provide places for people to play, relax and connect with nature, and are important to Aboriginal communities who have a continuing connection to Country. Rivers, wetlands and floodplains cannot provide these benefits unless their health is protected and maintained. About the Victorian Environmental Water Holder The Victorian Environmental Water Holder (VEWH) is an independent body, established by the Victorian Government in 2011, responsible for managing Victoria’s water for the environment. Set up under the Water Act 1989, the VEWH manages environmental water entitlements — the legal right to access a share of water available at specified locations to improve the environmental values and health of Victoria’s rivers, wetlands and floodplains, and the plants and animals that rely on them. The role of the VEWH is to: • make decisions about the most effective use of the environmental water entitlements, including whether to use carryover or trade • commit water and authorise waterway managers to implement watering decisions • work with storage managers and other water holders to coordinate and maximise environmental outcomes from the delivery of all water • commission projects to demonstrate the ecological outcomes of environmental watering at key sites and to help improve environmental water management • publicly communicate environmental watering decisions and outcomes. The VEWH works with local waterway managers to ensure water for the environment achieves the best environmental outcomes. A turtle at Gunbower Forest, by Hugh McGregor Reflections – Environmental watering in Victoria 2016–17 | 4
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