What the BEP includes

Our Better Environment Plan (BEP) for the middle corridor of Dandenong Creek includes a number of actions we will deliver to manage and offset environmental impacts of sewer spills into Dandenong Creek, and to enhance the creek’s public health, environmental and social values.

A better environment plan (BEP) is a statutory-based voluntary agreement between the Environment Protection Authority Victoria and duty holders. It offers duty holders, like Melbourne Water, an opportunity to test innovative solutions to environmental issues or to agree ways in which they can exceed their environmental obligations.

Learn more about better environment plans on the EPA website.

BEP Objectives

Melbourne Water’s vision for the BEP is:

"The public health, environmental values, cultural values, and community connections to Dandenong Creek and its surrounds are enhanced in the interim period before the upgrade of the Ringwood South Branch Sewer, with benefits enduring over the long term."

Read our Better Environment Plan

Our BEP can be downloaded from the EPA Victoria website.

About the program

Enhancing our Dandenong Creek is an innovative program to improve the health of the creek by fostering collaboration and identifying sustainable projects.

The pilot program (Phase 1, 2013-18) focused on:

  • improving natural amenity
  • reducing uncontrolled sewage spills
  • reintroducing the threatened dwarf galaxias fish species
  • preventing pollution from industrialised areas.

Its success proved what could be achieved when we work together with the community, businesses, councils, Traditional Owners and state agencies. Your feedback showed us that there was still work to be done. Armed with that information, we met with our partners and key stakeholders to design the next set of projects for Phase 2.

Phase 2 aimed to improve biodiversity, amenity and habitat connectivity along the middle Dandenong Creek catchment, from Bayswater North to Wheelers Hill. It also focused on reducing pollution from industrial sites in this area and improving sewerage compliance.

To learn more about this program, visit the Melbourne Water website.