Catchment Management
Ways to manage the catchment include:
- Strategic actions such as changing development controls, developing strategic plans such as the State of the Waterways Management Plan (link to State of the Waterways Management Plan webpage) or developing floodplain management plans.
- On ground actions such as:
- Installing traps to prevent pollution from entering our local waterways.
- Rehabilitating creeks which can help stablise creek banks and prevent them from being washed away over time.
- Constructing wetlands to help improve water quality and visual amenity.
- Constructing detention basins or modifying creeks to increase their capacity during storms and help mitigate or reduce the potential impacts of flooding.
- General maintenance works such as removing dumped rubbish and litter as well as sediment from creeks.
- Community education actions such as:
- Delivering community education campaigns.
- Holding information sessions or workshops.
- Actively engaging the community in onground actions such as through bushcare.
- Individual actions everyone can do such as:
- Carrying shopping in reusable bags. Plastic bags can take a long time to break down and water animals can choke on them and get tangled in them.
- Putting rubbish in the bin. Rubbish also takes a long time to break down and doesn't look very nice.
- Mulching gardens. Soil run off can make the water murky and reduce plant growth.
- Picking up your own dog's droppings. Nutrients in your dog's droppings contribute to excess waterweed and algae growth.
- Using fertiliser only when necessary. Excess nutrients in the water encourages excess waterweed and algae growth.
- Planting local native plants. Planting native plants can help reduce erosion and provide a food source and habitat for native wildlife.
- Washing vehicles on the lawn. Washing vehicles on the lawn prevents nutrients in the detergent from washing onto the road, through the pipes and into our creeks.
- Using phosphorous-free detergents.
- Sweeping paved areas instead of hosing. This helps save water and also reduces the amount of soil and leaves from being washed into our creeks and wetlands.
- Composting garden waste such as fallen leaves and grass clippings. Composting helps prevent the drains from becoming blocked and causing local flooding.
- Obeying signs in public areas as they are installed to protect importantly your health and safety and the environment. Signs might include for example signs telling you that no dogs are allowed or to keep your dog on a leash or flood warning signs.
Dissolved pollution can help feed algae
Stormwater pollution can be washed down drains into waterways and wetlands
Illegal rubish dumpin in waterways
A trash rack to collect rubbish such as leaves or rubish from the urban area after to rain before it enters constructed wetlands
Gross Pollutant trapand trash rack
Public sign at Lorikeet Marsh at Nurragingy Reserve, Doonside
