Greater Taree City Council, MidCoast Water and the Hunter Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority formally signed on to work with Great Lakes Council to improve the water quality in the region as part of the $1.8 million Coastal Catchments Initiative.

Great Lakes Council's Coastal Catchments Initiative coordinator, Prue Tucker, said the joint signing event builds on partnerships established between Great Lakes Council and landholders.

"To date, over 80km of fencing, numerous off stream watering systems and significant areas of erosion control have been put in place across the Wallis, Myall and Smiths Lake catchments to protect water quality and the environment," Ms Tucker said.

The Coastal Catchments initiative (CCI) is a federally funded project that aims to improve water quality in our wetlands, lakes and waterways.

The CCI will build on current catchment management knowledge and use new scientific information and computer modelling to work out the best ways to improve water quality in urban and rural areas.

Chairman of the Karuah-Great Lakes Landcare management committee, Les Roberts, himself a landholder in the catchment, said the signing was yet another step forward in the process.

"It is encouraging to see these agencies formally signing on to the project so that we can continue to support the efforts of landholders in our local area," Mr Roberts said.