“With 35km of foreshore our community has a very close relationship with the Parramatta River so we are pleased to be a part of the Parramatta River Catchment Group (PRCG),” he said
“The initiative, Our Living River, launched by the PRCG, has a mission to make Parramatta River swimmable by 2025 and we think this is achievable.”
Up until the 1950s, most of the Parramatta River was swimmable and was the focal point for many social activities.
Today, the river west of Cabarita, has become too polluted for swimming and other activities to continue, leaving few locations where people can still swim.
A number of projects have been implemented to reduce pollution into the River, including:
* The Drummoyne Oval Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse Scheme, implemented in 2010, harvests up to nine million litres of stormwater from around Drummoyne Oval (including streets, roofs and hard surfaces). The water is reused for irrigation of Drummoyne Oval and Taplin Park. The system incorporates a gross pollutant trap which captures over 6 tonnes of litter, sediment and organics each year.
* The Catchment to Cove project has improved the conditions for fragile ecosystems that exist along Sisters and Half Moon Bays in Drummoyne. Up to eight tonnes of pollutants - including leaves, sediment and litter - is collected from stormwater each year by the two gross pollutants traps, preventing pollutants from reaching the foreshore and waterways of Iron Cove. Part of the project is bush regeneration, including the planting of over 2000 native plants in Brett Park, which has reduced the amount of overland flow that would normally enter the bay. The Catchment to Cove Initiative encourages community members to learn how the water and pollutants from their catchment affect habitats and waterways downstream.
* The Water for the Community project will harvest 180 million litres of stormwater each year to be reused for irrigating our parks and golf courses in Concord. This project is reducing stormwater flows and pollutant loads to the Parramatta River.
“As well as these projects we have over 25 gross pollutant traps in the City of Canada Bay, collecting over 150 tonnes of litter, sediment and lead matter from reaching the Parramatta River each year,” Mayor Tsirekas said.
“Improving the Parramatta River and ensuring it will be swimmable once again will be of great benefit to all the communities along the River and will bring it back to life.”
Our Living River is urging the community to get involved by visiting , voting for their favourite swimming spot and supporting the campaign to bring the river and surrounding creeks back to their former glory.
Canada Bay swimming sites along the river you can vote for include: