After informing council last week, City of Ballarat workers were seen arriving first thing Monday morning to clear the blockage of fallen logs and rubbish.

They also trimmed back trees and removed all the waste.

"They worked through until 2.30pm, they didn't stop, they just kept going," resident Lynette McDonald said.

"We're really appreciative of how seriously they took it, and how they jumped in and did something about it."

Ms McDonald was one of the residents in the area who contacted council about the issue last week, noting concern about "white foam" building up.

"The thing is, we've seen lots of floods here, but we've never seen it that bad - it was because the logs had all piled up together in that one spot," she said.

"People think they're not doing the environment much harm when they throw a single cigarette packet away, or a bottle - this is the proof it does matter.

"Use the receptacles or take it home."

The City of Ballarat's infrastructure and environment director, Bridget Wetherall, said the white foam is natural and "not a cause for concern".

"Central Highlands Water's reclaimed water discharge into the Yarrowee River is undertaken in accordance with its licence with the Environment Protection Authority and is of a high quality. This licence does not permit the discharge of litter," she said in a statement.

"Any litter present in the Yarrowee would be a result of what is already unfortunately up and down stream, entering via stormwater, dumping and general littering.

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"The white foam shown in the photos is caused when a river has been stagnant for an extended period, and a large flow of water washes out the organic matter, such as leaves and twigs from deeper pools which stirs up the water and creates a froth."

She added council allocated $200,000 for a feasiibility assessment and detailed designs for a gross pollutant trap in the 2022-23 budget, but it's not known when this will be built.

Anyone who spots litter is urged to phone council's customer service team on 5320 5500, or through council's website.

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