June 14th, 2025Wanna be a WaterWatcher?

The North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) is on the lookout for volunteers to help monitor the health of two key waterways.

The CMA’s WaterWatch team is keen to recruit volunteers for sites along the Coliban and Little Coliban Rivers, as well as Kangaroo, Birchs, Creswick, and Tullaroop creeks.

North Central CMA Project Manager Tess Grieves said being a WaterWatch volunteer was a great way to contribute to the community.

“Citizen science is a great opportunity to meet a lot of like-minded people and make a real difference to your local waterway,” she said.

“We provide volunteers with all the training and equipment they need, and welcome people from all walks of life and all ages.

“You only have to monitor the waterway once a month and testing usually takes about half an hour.”

Ms Grieves said long-term regular water quality testing helps build a picture of a waterway’s health and the collected data is uploaded to a national database.

“At the moment we’re looking for volunteers for our Tullaroop Tributaries and A Healthy Coliban Catchment projects,” she said.

“Both projects are aimed at improving the quality of the waterways and everything that relies on them to survive and thrive.

“Becoming a WaterWatch volunteer means you can help an endangered butterfly, a vulnerable platypus, or threatened blackfish have a healthy home. The work of citizen science volunteers is really important.”

For more information on volunteering, email citizenscience@nccma.vic.gov.au or call 0447 824 514.

To find out more about the CMA’s citizen science projects, visit https://www.nccma.vic.gov.au/get-involved/citizen-science/north-central-citizen-science-projects/