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Remade houseboat regulations

Lake Eildon is unique - it is the only inland Victorian lake that allows houseboating, popular for holidays, relaxation and overall enjoyment. Home to over 700 houseboats, Lake Eildon is the heart of the Victorian houseboat building industry.

Houseboating on Lake Eildon is regulated under the Water (Lake Eildon Recreation Area) (Houseboats) Regulations 2024. These regulations are put in place by the Minister for Water and set out what houseboat owners must do to be allowed to operate a houseboat on the lake, including requirements for licencing and managing the impacts of houseboat wastewater on human health and the environment.

From 2020, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) worked in partnership with Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW), houseboat community and stakeholders in a co-design approach to review and remake the current houseboat regulations that came into operation on 10 June 2024.

Understanding wastewater and its risks

Under the Environment Protection Act 2017 we all have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to reduce pollution and waste. This means that Lake Eildon houseboat users – along with all other lake users – have a duty to take steps that are ‘reasonably practicable’ to manage risks to human health and the environment that their activities create.

Greywater is a mixture of everything that goes down a houseboat drain, apart from toilets. This means that the soaps and detergents, food scraps and anything else that goes down a drain, ends up in the lake. Without appropriate management controls, houseboat greywater entering Lake Eildon poses a risk of harm to human health, the environment, and the broader amenity of the lake.

The remade regulations will help ensure houseboat owners are complying with the law and doing their part to protect the lake, both now and for future generations.

Working with the houseboating community

DEECA and GMW worked with the houseboating community and a range of experts including houseboat builders and plumbers, Better Regulations Victoria, the Victorian Building Authority, the Environment Protection Authority and the Department of Health to build the evidence base to inform the proposed changes to the regulations and explore practical options for managing greywater that are suitable for the Lake Eildon houseboat fleet. This included input from:

  • Houseboat Stakeholder Working Group
  • Water Quality Working Group
  • Technical Working Group
  • Social research and behavioural insights workshops
  • Technical feasibility studies
  • Cost-benefit analysis
  • Intervention trials and performance testing.

Greywater Testing

DEECA and GMW, supported by representatives of the houseboating community and industry, are undertaking water quality and amenity testing to ensure greywater management options available perform and function well. Greywater treatment systems have been installed on two houseboats on Lake Eildon since late 2023. System performance is also being tested within a laboratory environment.

Social research, through surveys, interviews, and workshops, has been undertaken to better understand how houseboats are used, what steps houseboat users are already taking to manage greywater and actions that can make greywater management easier.

Public consultation on Engage Vic

The Engage Victoria Public Consultation is now complete.

The purpose of the Engage Victoria consultation was to inform the houseboat community and broader public on the proposed changes to the houseboat regulations and gather feedback on the exposure (draft) regulations and the supporting Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS).

A 'Closing the Loop' consultation report has been prepared to summarise the feedback received. Further information, including a link to the report is available on Engage Victoria.

More information

Page last updated: 11/07/24