PLEASE NOTE: All queries must be submitted via the forum. In line with procurement policy, CCMA is unable to answer questions via phone/email. This project will update and improve the information available to inform environmental water management in the Lower Barwon Wetlands, located in near Geelong in Victoria. This will be achieved through synthesising the existing recommendations for Reedy Lake and Hospital Swamps by incorporating additional research that has been conducted since the Flow Ecology Study was developed by Lloyd et. al in 2012, as well as incorporating additional required information (detailed throughout) to develop the recommendations.

The updated flow regime also needs to consider current Victorian policy including FLOWS, climate change and sea level rise, the role the wetlands play within a network of wetlands, water regulation structures (although recommendations should be developed independent of structures), stakeholder expectations, cultural values as well as any additional factors that arise during the project.

Roles and responsibilities

As part of the project initiation a number of individual and group roles are established with defined responsibilities (Table 1.2). The client project manager will establish a project steering committee and a Project Advisory Group to provide advice on various aspects of the project. The project team includes the Environmental Flows Technical Panel (EFTP).

During a typical FLOWS study the consultant project manager would meet with the steering committee at project inception to confirm the project scope and method, timelines, data requirements and review processes. The steering committee would also meet to provide sign-off on agreed flow objectives, the selection of reaches and sites for cross-section survey and hydraulic modelling and flow recommendations.

The Project Advisory Group is different to the steering committee in that it includes a broader range of stakeholders, including local landholder, community and environmental group representation. Its role is to provide input and feedback to the process from a local viewpoint. The group is established by the client project manager and is expected to meet on three or four occasions:

1) The first Project Advisory Group meeting is held during the project inception and data gathering phase. The client project manager will brief the group on the project, explain the general approach and seek feedback on catchment and river health issues, community perceptions of environmental values and expectations for future environmental condition. The Project Advisory Group may advise on additional data to be considered and sites to be visited. Project Advisory Group members who are landholders can also provide access to parts of the system, or facilitate access. This meeting usually takes about two hours.

2) The second Project Advisory Group meeting (optional) is generally held during the EFTP field assessment. The  Project Advisory Group is invited to attend one of the sites, meet the EFTP and observe the site assessment process and ask any relevant questions. This meeting usually takes about one hour.

3) The third Project Advisory Group meeting is held once draft environmental objectives have been developed by the EFTP. The main issues and objectives are presented to the group and discussed to gain some consensus. Although objective setting should be informed by relevant river health strategies and the deliberations of the EFTP on what is achievable, it is important that the Project Advisory Group has an opportunity to comment on the objective with the aim of achieving a shared vision of future stream condition. If the group cannot agree on objectives the client and steering committee will need to take the discussion off-line and come to an agreement before the project continues. This meeting takes two to three hours.

4) The fourth Project Advisory Group meeting is held once draft flow recommendations are developed. The consultant project manager summarises the process followed to arrive at the flow recommendations, presents how well the current stream flow regime is meeting the recommendations and what opportunities there are for improvement. Any minor comments or observations from the Project Advisory Group may be incorporated into the flow recommendations report before finalisation. This meeting takes one to two hours.

The input received from the steering committee and Project Advisory Group should be documented throughout the project, along with comments on how this input has been considered by the project team. If the steering committee or Project Advisory Group has asked particular questions or has particular concerns then the reports should specifically address these concerns if relevant. Meeting attendees and minutes should be recorded by the project or client project manager or other agreed person and included in an appendix in each report.