Victorian rivers and streams are in a state of decline and pose serious threats to human health thanks to an unpleasant culprit: cow poo.
Monash University research has renewed concerns about the poor condition of rivers, which environmentalists say are suffering due to ”Third World management” of public land.
The latest research, to be released today, confirms long-held fears that grazing cattle damage rivers by leaving waste in the water, as well as increasing the potential for toxic algae blooms. It also notes uncontrolled cattle access to rivers can affect water quality due to pathogens in cow faeces. While many towns have water filtration systems to remove these, some do not, putting people at risk of health problems.
The report, Riverside Rescue, was commissioned by the Victorian National Parks Association to coincide with World Rivers Day, today. It comes as the Baillieu government faces growing pressure to boost its environmental credentials after widespread criticism over issues such as the state’s 20 per cent emissions reduction target, cattle grazing in the Alpine national park, and restrictions on wind farms.
Association spokesman Nick Roberts said successive governments have had years to lift their game, but ”instead we are encouraging poor management of rivers polluted by cattle and cattle poo”. ”It’s not just about eroding the river banks, or threats to native plants and animals - it’s about a whole range of human health impacts,” Mr Roberts said.
The report also states:
■ More than 30,000 kilometres of Victoria’s publicly owned land abuts inland waterways.
■ About 80 per cent of the total length of Victoria’s rivers is in very poor condition, with only 14 per cent rated as being in excellent condition.
■ The decline of Victorian river frontages can be reversed if efforts are made, as has been the case in areas such as the Goulburn-Broken catchment near Euroa, the East Gippsland catchment region, and parts of the Murray-Darling Basin.
Environmental and health groups have raised concerns about river management for years, but this did not deter the former Labor government from reissuing 9200 licences for cattle to roam freely through Victorian rivers. The National Parks Association has called on the Coalition for new reforms, such as incentives for land owners to improve land management, new conservation licences and a doubling of state expenditure on land care programs.
Government spokeswoman Lauren Bradley said the government invested $15 million each year for catchment management authorities (CMAs) and Melbourne Water to work with landholders to fence waterways and revegetate river banks. ”Water authorities and CMAs are already collaborating in some areas of the state, to fence streams and to protect drinking water quality,” she said.
