We’ve been dreaming for a while about being able to swim in the Birrarung/Yarra River, and that vision is one step closer to reality, with Melbourne Water and a number of councils joining forces today to create the Coalition for Swimmable Birrarung. Together, they’ll take steps to clean up the river and upgrade infrastructure, with Melbourne Water conducting tests to measure water quality. There’s a long way to go, with plans to make the river safe for swimming by 2050.
Making the Birrarung/Yarra River swimmable
As you might remember from the Paris Olympics, cleaning up an urban river to make it safe for swimming is a vast and complex job, which is why a number of organisations and councils need to team up to make this possible. There’s a lot that needs to be done, starting with testing needed to identify the river’s current suitability for swimming.
At the moment, the Yarra River is vulnerable to contaminants such as stormwater pollution, with rubbish, animal waste and chemicals flowing down stormwater drains and into the river during and after rainfall.
There are some spots, like the CBD section of the Yarra, where it is illegal to swim. And, even in the spots where people do swim, such as in Warrandyte, there are still risks. In 2023, popular swimming spots in places such as Launching Place and Healesville were recorded with E.coli levels that were 25 times higher than the recommended level.
At the moment, you can check the water quality and forecast on the Environmental Protection Authority website.
“A swimmable river is one of the clearest indicators of a healthy river,” said Melbourne Water Chair Pat McCafferty. “While no single organisation can achieve that vision alone, Melbourne Water is proud to be working alongside Traditional Owners, government, community organisations and our partners to improve waterway health across the catchment.”
Coalition for Swimmable Birrarung
The new Coalition is made up of Melbourne Water, the City of Melbourne, City of Yarra, Moonee Valley City Council and Banyule City Council. Parks Victoria will be managing the waterways itself. These organisations will work together to improve waterway health, and advocate for the investment, policies and support needed to create a swimmable river system. Their work will be backed by the global Swimmable Cities Charter alliance.
“The launch of the Coalition for a Swimmable Birrarung signals a bright future for our iconic waterway – working in partnership to bring river swimming back to the inner city by 2050,” said Lord Mayor Nick Reece. “Urban swimming brings great benefits to cities – including stronger biodiversity, more tourism and economic activity, and enhanced social connection. If Paris and Copenhagen can do it, why can’t Melbourne?”
To read more about the Swimmable Birrarung project, click here. To find out more about the City of Melbourne’s plans, click here.
