A new round of Integrated Water Management (IWM) grants is funding projects across Victoria that improve water security, protect waterways and reduce reliance on drinking water through smarter use of alternative sources.
In Cardinia Shire, a $200,000 grant is supporting a $632,000 Biolink Plan project in Koo Wee Rup. The project will deliver significant environmental benefits, including planting 21,000 native plants, revegetating 4 kilometres of shelterbelt and improving water quality along more than 3 kilometres of drainage flowing to Western Port.
The works will reduce sediment and nutrient runoff – key contributors to harmful algal blooms – while protecting more than 3 hectares of land from grazing.
They will also strengthen habitat corridors in Cardinia Shire, which is home to more than 150 threatened species in the area, including the Southern Brown Bandicoot and Growling Grass Frog. Community education and citizen science initiatives will help residents better understand and monitor local biodiversity.
In Melbourne’s west, Brimbank City Council will receive a $400,000 grant towards a $1.6 million upgrade of the stormwater harvesting system at Green Gully Reserve. Delivered with Greater Western Water, the upgrade will expand the system’s capacity to meet irrigation demand of nearly 40 million litres per year for sports fields and parklands.
The project will provide a reliable alternative water source, reducing reliance on drinking water, while also cutting polluted stormwater flows into Taylors Creek and the Maribyrnong River.
In Sunbury, a $567,000 IWM grant is contributing to a $2.27 million project to transform an existing flood basin into a wetland. The project will capture and treat stormwater for irrigation at Sunbury Cemetery and Kathleen Aitken Park, while improving water quality entering Jacksons Creek.
In Brunswick a $2 million grant will support a new stormwater harvesting and reuse system that will supply up to 27 million litres of alternative water each year for irrigation, helping keep local sporting grounds and open spaces green and improving water security.
Benefits to the reserve also include landscaping, vegetation and new walking paths around the raingarden, creating a more green, cool, and accessible space for the community.
Together, these projects demonstrate how IWM funding is enabling councils and water authorities to deliver integrated, place-based solutions that use stormwater, recycled water and nature-based infrastructure to support healthier ecosystems and more resilient communities.
The projects are part of the Victorian Government's $24 million IWM Grants Program, which supports collaborative initiatives across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, with further applications currently being assessed.
Learn more about the IWM Program here: Integrated Water Management.
Page last updated: 31/07/26