Citizen scientists could capture Bendigo Creek's watershed moment

Their work is the first in a series tracking the health of water as it flows through Bendigo and could prove whether a 50-year plan to improve the creek is working.

The City of Greater Bendigo has led the plan, which includes vegetation to naturally clean water.

Citizen scientists' have charted water quality at 10 sites along the creek to gauge each area's health.

They have uncovered dramatic shifts in water quality between Big Hill and the city centre, a North Central Catchment Management Authority report shows.

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One site in Elm Street, Golden Square recorded "poor" water quality even though another one 1.8 kilometres upstream had "good" standards.

Water quality only began to improve as it leaves the city centre, the CMA's Britt Gregory said.

"It just goes to show that the urban storm water has a particularly big impact on the creek," she said.

"Those oils, detergents and other pollutants that come along with urban storm water causes a bit of an issue."

Aquatic vegetation had removed many of the nutrients and sediments in the creek by the time it reached a Huntly monitoring station.

"Aquatic vegetation is really good at filtering out the nutrients and nasties before the water continues on its way," she said.

Then it becomes something most Bendigo residents would not recognise.

"Most people have this picture of the creek as a kind of concrete drain, but further down it is a really beautiful creek that represents what things would have looked like a long, long time ago," Ms Gregory said.

The citizen scientists' work is the first in a series of reports tracking water quality along the creek as it winds through the Bendigo area.

Below: results of the citizen scientist's research. Story continues below document.

It comes as groups work on, or finish, pushes to improve sections of the creek.

This year alone, Traditional Owners the Dja Dja Wurrung have installed artificial wetlands in White Hills to filter storm water run-off from houses along Knight Street and The Boulevard.

Bendigo's council has begun planning frog ponds for a north Bendigo tributary that flows into the creek.

The Bendigo Advertiser is aware of one other group that could soon announce its own plans for a section of creek bed.

The group is not ready to go public with its plans yet.