About

River Watch

• commenced in 1992;
• a 24 hour phone line based at Mildura Police Station, paid for by River Watch;
• referral body only - no action taken by Committee itself;
• community education role.

What is River Watch?

• community self-help program designed to protect the river and its environment from pollution and degradation;
• a program to encourage people to “treat the river like a friend”;
• it relies on a central contact point which is open 24 hours a day;
• anonymous calls are not favoured, however, all calls are treated with strict confidentiality;
• reports are received and are then acted upon by the relevant agency/authority.

What does River Watch aim to do?

The program aims to:

• encourage community-based policing i.e. you report anything that looks/sounds wrong along the River to the River Watch number;
• increase people’s appreciation of the river environment so that it is better protected and preserved for use by this and future generations.

Working Together

• the police and community have already been working together on problems of major concern e.g. Neighbourhood Watch and Rural Watch;
• River Watch further encourages community-based policing (along the riverine environment).

What will River Watch do for You?

The short, medium and long-term outcomes of River Watch are to:

• improve water quality of the river;
• reduce pollution in the river;
• reduce littering along the riverbank;
• reduce vandalism to the riverine environment;
• improve aesthetics of the river and its environment;
• improve boating operations and boat-user responsibility;
• increase the native fish population.

What Can You Do?

• Report any emergencies, illegal or anti-social behaviour along the river to the River Watch number 1300 RIVERWATCH or 1300 748 379
• Primary School age children can become Junior River Watcher members.

Take nothing but photos... leave nothing but footprints.