Rural Lands Program

Jamie Tainton has enjoyed working with the Liveable Communities Liveable Waterways Program at Melbourne Water (previously the Rural Lands Program) over the years. From strawberry and raspberry growers in the Yarra Valley, Container Nurseries in the hills, to dairy farmers in gippsland, the variety and breadth of work is phenomenal. The intention of the program is to create an opportunity to share knowledge and improve the practices of agricutlural properties in small bites. The idea being that many small bites of improvement in a waterway will lead to a much healthier system in the longer term.

Projects have included the development of site Stormwater Management Plans, catchment diversions to improve dam yield, sealing dams, track improvements, drainage augmentation, improving irrigation practicies, rural waterway crossings and water balance assessments to determine efficient water use. The list is endless and extremely satisfying.