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Melbourne urban stormwater institutional arrangements review

The 60 ha. catchment boundary convention, which was established by the Metropolitan Board of Works in 1927, is currently used to determine responsibility for catchment related stormwater and drainage assets within metropolitan Melbourne. The current arrangements have evolved as a convention and do not assign clear roles, responsibilities and resourcing for stormwater drainage assets and services between councils and Melbourne Water.

Image sources: The Age and Clearwater.

Current priorities

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), Melbourne Water and MAV are supporting the Melbourne Urban Stormwater Institutional Arrangements (MUSIA) review  and examining the delineation of responsibilities between Melbourne Water and the 38 Melbourne metropolitan councils within the Melbourne Water region.

We are facilitating input from the 38 councils into the development of recommendations, and we will be representing these councils in any negotiations that may be required.

This project factsheet (Word - 527KB) provides further context on the MUSIA review project.

Partnerships

We are working in close partnership with DEECA and Melbourne Water in this review, and participate in related committees and working groups to link this work with other initiatives across the water sector.

  • Water and Catchments, Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning
  • Melbourne Water Integrated Planning team
  • Port Phillip and Westernport Flood Management Strategy Implementation Advisory Committee
  • Flood and drainage working group for the Water Adaptation Action Plan development.

Related websites

  • Our members only site allows access to materials from the Local Government Working Group under the stormwater management (Members Only) page
  • DEECA’s MUSIA project page provides a project overview
  • The Victorian Floodplain Management Strategy 2016 instigated this review through action 14a and the strategy provides additional context around Victorian flood concerns
  • Action 3.13 in the Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy 2022 identifies that the Victorian Government will support Melbourne Water and the Municipal Association of Victoria (on behalf of local government) to implement the preferred option from the MUSIA review - the improved 60-hectare option, and​ embed the confirmed approach into policy or legislation

Engage with us

Rosemary Hancock
Manager Social Policy
rhancock@mav.asn.au