Glen Eira is both a leader and participant in a multi-council collaboration that tackles litter, flooding, and waterway health across the Elster Creek Catchment.
Elster Creek Catchment Collaboration
The Elster Creek catchment covers around 40 square kilometres across the four councils, most of which is within Glen Eira. Litter from our streets, and floodwater from intense rainfall both flow through this shared system, largely through underground drains, into Elster Creek and the Elwood Canal. Ultimately ending up in Port Phillip Bay.
To address these challenges, Glen Eira participates in two collaborative working groups under the Elster Creek Catchment Collaboration:
- The Elster Creek Litter Collaboration (litter working group), which Glen Eira leads
- The Flood Working Group, coordinated with catchment-wide partners
About Elster Creek
Elster Creek is mostly hidden from view in Glen Eira, flowing through underground drains beneath roads and footpaths before emerging from its concrete channel at Yalukit Willam Nature Reserve and continuing as the Elwood Canal.
Historically, the Creek ran through natural wetlands and open channels. Over time, urban development led to the redirection of the creek into underground drains, which are not maintained by Melbourne Water. Today, much of the waterway is hidden from view, but its importance to the health of our local environment remains significant.
Learn more about our waterways.
Elster Creek Litter Collaboration
Glen Eira leads the Elster Creek Litter Collaboration (ECLC) — a joint initiative formed in response to community concerns about litter entering the Elwood Canal and flowing into Port Phillip Bay.
The ECLC brings together:
- Glen Eira City Council
- Melbourne Water
- EPA Victoria
- Bayside City Council
- City of Port Phillip
Together, these partners work to reduce litter at its source through education, infrastructure improvements and coordinated action.
What does the ECLC do?
The collaboration focuses on:
- Preventing litter from entering stormwater drains
- Protecting waterway health and Port Phillip Bay
- Supporting regional partnerships across councils
- Aligning with broader environmental goals including flood management, biodiversity and water quality
The ECLC also works closely with the Flood Working Group to ensure litter reduction is integrated into wider catchment planning.
The Elster Creek Litter Action Plan
To ensure the ECLC continues to take litter management seriously, we developed the Elster Creek Litter Action Plan (PDF, 3MB) — a five-year guide for litter-related projects. The plan includes:
- Targets to prevent litter through education, enforcement and engagement
- Support for volunteer and Council-led clean-up initiatives
- Review of existing litter services to guide future infrastructure upgrades
By working with ECLC partners, we aim to reduce litter flowing into Port Phillip Bay and protect the catchment for future generations.
Flood Working Group
What is the working group doing?
Flooding is a shared challenge across the Elster Creek catchment, particularly during intense rainfall. Glen Eira works with the City of Port Phillip, Bayside City Council, the City of Kingston and Melbourne Water to coordinate a catchment-wide response.
All parties in the working group have signed the Elster Creek Catchment Memorandum of Understanding (PDF, 823KB), committing to core principles to address the problem.
They've also established the Elster Creek Catchment Flood Management Plan 2019-2024 (PDF, 5.4MB), which works under the key themes of:
- one catchment, one plan
- strategic planning
- informed communities.
For regular updates on the Action Plan, visit Melbourne Water.
Catchment Collaboration Projects
Since the adoption of both the Elster Creek Litter Action Plan and the Elster Creek Catchment Flood Management Plan, we have worked on sustainable water projects that support our urban waterways. You can find out more details about some of these projects below.
