The Clean Ocean Foundation is an environmental organisation that is dedicated to the closure of ocean

Ocean

An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...

 sewerage

Sanitary sewer

A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...

 outfalls in Victoria (Australia)

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

. It was formed in 2000 by surfers who became concerned at the high level of pollution at Mornington Peninsula

Mornington Peninsula

The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion...

 surf beaches such as Gunnamatta.

The Foundation has been at the forefront of a campaign to close the South Eastern Outfall at Gunnamatta beach, which deposits partially treated sewerage from the city of Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, conveyed from Eastern Treatment Plant

Eastern Treatment Plant

The Eastern Treatment Plant of Melbourne Water is a sewage treatment plant that serves much of the city of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, south-eastern Australia. The plant is at Bangholme, 31 km south-east of Melbourne’s central business district and adjacent to its south-eastern...

 operated by Melbourne Water

Melbourne Water

Melbourne Water is a government owned statutory authority that controls much of the water system in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia including the reservoirs, and thesewerage and drainage system that services the city.- Overview :...

. This has proven successful and the Eastern Treatment Plant is due to be upgraded to a Class A standard of treatment by 2012. Following this victory, the Foundation is now working toward the recycling of all wastewater from 144 outfalls around Australia.

The Foundation has also been successful in lobbying the NHMRC for Australia's recreational water guidelines to be raised to match World Health Organisation criteria.

Clean Ocean's mission, stated on their website is: "To protect our ocean ecosystem and establish sustainable water management practices"