Dredging Port Phillip Bay
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Dredging of Port Phillip Bay to deepen the existing shipping channels began on 8 February 2008.
The Office of the Environmental Monitor brings an added layer of scrutiny to the Port Phillip Bay Channel Deepening Project. The Office provides an around-the-clock, independent and transparent view of the environmental performance of the dredging project to the regulators and the Victorian community.
Led by the Environmental Monitor, Mick Bourke, the Office uses a wide range of information and monitoring data to assess whether or not the project has followed the rules set by the Environmental Management Plan.
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Data from more than 20 monitoring programs operating across Port Phillip Bay is routinely examined by the Office to detect any changes to its health.
The results from these programs are made available to the community on this website, which aims to be a one-stop-shop for all data, information, reports and advice on the project.
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Little Penguin foraging trips revealed
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| Research shows that during winter Phillip Island’s Little Penguins spend time in Port Phillip Bay looking for food such as anchovies.
| Click here to view the results from a winter satellite tracking program, and the foraging movements of two penguins from Phillip Island.
| Photo: Phillip Island Little Penguin with satellite tracking device. Coutesy of Phillip Island Nature Park.
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Report on South Channel partial non conformance released
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Photo: Hampton Beach, Port Phillip Bay
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| The Office has released its report and advice on the Port of Melbourne Corporation's partial non conformance against one of the Environmental Management Plan's 58 rules.
On 19 April 2009 the Queen of the Netherlands dredged outside areas set by the EMP for South Channel, near Hovell Pile.
The Office is satisfied that the environmental impacts on the partial non conformance were negligible.
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Quarterly Review No.5 released
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Photo: Brighton beach bathing boxes
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| The Office has released its Quarterly Review No. 5. The review provides an independent and transparent view of the dredging project's environmental performance from 1 March to 31 May 2009.
The review found that the results from programs that monitor seagrass, Little Penguins, water quality, algal blooms and fish stocks were consistent with data collected over the past decade.
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2009 Lower Yarra River Fish Study results released
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Photo: Black bream from the lower Yarra River were tested for contaminants.
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| The first study of contaminant concentrations in fish since dredging began has confirmed fish from the lower Yarra River are still safe to eat.
| The 2009 Lower Yarra River Fish Study revealed very low concentrations of contaminants in Yarra River fish.
The study found that the contaminant concentrations in fish sampled in 2009 were generally lower than the concentrations recorded in 2006 and were below the guideline levels for Australian Food Standards. Read more.
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