Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways has a strong focus on innovation, liveability and collaboration across all areas of water management.

Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways is Melbourne Water’s new streamlined and flexible incentives program. Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways allows for increased partnership opportunities with our customers and the community on a broader range of initiatives that contribute to enhancing life and liveability across Melbourne.

The program is open to all Melbourne Water customers and provides greater access to a broader range of services offered by Melbourne Water.

Melbourne Water has a proud history of Incentives Programs which have fostered meaningful and long-lasting partnerships. Through Liveable Communities, Liveable Waterways Melbourne Water will continue to work closely with their existing partners and also target new additional partnership opportunities.

How much money can I apply for?

Based on experience, Melbourne Water have a good understanding of what is an industry benchmark cost to undertake a range of activities. Where published benchmarks exist (for example fencing) they will use these to guide what funding you will get and where these benchmarks don’t exist they will base it on quotes.

Guiding Principles

• Provide multiple community and/or environmental benefit through application of best practice.
• Engage with our customers and community and inform them of our purpose and strategic direction.
• Have clear alignment with our strategies and services. For example Melbourne Water System, Sewerage, Drinking Water Quality, Flood Management, Healthy Waterways, Environmental Stewardship.
• Demonstrate collaboration to provide greater value beyond what can be achieved by Melbourne Water alone.
• Innovative projects that can be widely adopted (not required for all applications).

Program Themes

Melbourne Water are looking for projects and longer term partnerships that provide value to Melbourne Water, their customers, partners and community by aligning with at least one of the following themes:

• Connected Habitat and Catchments
  • Works that focus on waterway and biodiversity protection aligned with with one or more of Melbourne Water’s strategies. To find out more on the Melbourne Water Strategies, visit our website www.melbournewater.com.au/about/strategiesand-reports
• Integrated Water Management (IWM)
  • Enablers Initiatives ranging from precinct to regional scale that facilitate multi-partner IWM, influence industry and address existing barriers to implementation.
• Science, Innovation and Technology
  • Research and technology that can support best practice management and improve how Melbourne Water and our partners work together.
• Liveable cities
  • Local projects that support one or more of the following: healthy waterways, green open spaces and resilient urban landscapes and deliver community and environmental benefits. 

The funder encourages you to discuss your proposed idea before applying.

Previously funded projects

Over the years Melbourne Water has fostered meaningful partnerships with our customers and community through existing grants in waterway management and stormwater.

Previously funded projects have incorporated the following activities:

• Pest animal control, for example; deer monitoring and research
• Stormwater management, for example; investigation, design and construction
• Waterway restoration
• Stormwater pollution tracking
• Habitat creation
• Interpretative signage and educational resources
• Citizen science, for example; frog or fish surveys, water testing, eDNA sampling
• Threatened species management
• Weed management
• Erosion control
• Revegetation
• Fencing
• Sediment and nutrient control systems
• Grazing management
• Irrigation and drainage plans or improvements
• Dam decommissioning
• Farm layout and design and farm track design and construction
• Effluent management
• Community group support for building organisational capacity
• Personnel for example; Water Sensitive Urban Design Officers within Council
• Partnerships

Who can apply

To be eligible for consideration, your project or proposal must be located within Melbourne Water’s operating area. This includes landowners, councils and public land managers, schools, community groups, universities and research institutions, multi-partner projects and collaborative groups.

Your organisation needs to be an ABN registered group or business or incorporated entity. If you do not meet these requirements you may want to consider entering into an auspice arrangement with an appropriate Auspice agency.

Applications will be accepted from groups who are incorporated through Landcare Victoria Limited. Your proposal must also align with our guiding principles and themes which can be found below. Limitations You cannot apply for funding if you have failed to complete and report on previous projects to the satisfaction of Melbourne Water.

Examples of activities not eligible for funding

• Works that would alter the form of the waterway, for example creating a pool in a creek.
• Waterway or streamside fencing that is less than 10m from top of bank.
• Funding towards compliance activity or rectification associated with illegal works.
• Funding for the delivery of works which form part of the conditions of a planning permit or permit application.

Unsure if your activity is eligible? Contact Melbourne Water on 131 722 to speak to an Incentives Team Member.

• Phone: 131 722
• Email: incentives@melbournewater.com.au