Citizen scientists needed to determine estuary health

THE Corangamite Catchment Management Authority is set to relaunch its Barwon Estuary Project with the help of the community.

The Barwon Estuary Monitoring Project will focus on implementing water quality tests across eight locations throughout Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove.

Community members will be encouraged to volunteer in the collection of water quality results that will divulge the health of the Barwon Estuary in areas of high recreational use.

The project comes under the Victorian Government’s $222 million commitment into improving catchment and waterway health in Victoria.

CCMA Regional Citizen Science project officer, Deirdre Murphy said volunteers will receive training as citizen scientists while playing a vital role in educating the community about public health impacts.

“Community volunteers will be able to learn about the recreational water quality of the Barwon River estuary,” she said.

“They will gain new skills, be part of a team and collaborate in this unique project.

“We are looking forward to working closely with the community in this exciting relaunch of the Barwon Estuary Monitoring Project.”

The relaunch comes after a strong community interest was shown during phase one of the public health driven program delivered in 2018/2019, which engaged citizen scientists in the trialling and monitoring of recreational water quality indicators.

The second phase is set to expand on the initial program by targeting peak rainfall events as well as typical conditions.

Barwon Heads Association vice president John Nolan believes the project will be effective in understanding the health of the estuary.

“This project is important to the Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove community,” he said.

“The Barwon Heads Association is delighted that the Barwon Estuary Monitoring Project is about to enter its second phase and thanks the Victorian Government for supporting the project and the Corangamite CMA for its facilitation.”

Interested members of the community can register to become a volunteer via the Estuary Watch website: https://bit.ly/3uGN4CN