Improving Prospect Creek for Water Quality and Habitat
Have your say! Improving Prospect Creek
The Steering Committee is currently seeking feedback from the community about what needs to be done to improve the condition of Prospect Creek. You can Have Your Say by completing a short survey here.
Program Update, August 2011
Following a community consultation of the draft Strategic Management Plan (SMP), the submission of comments from the community and the project steering committee were incorporated into the final SMP document. The consultant has forwarded the final SMP to Bankstown, Holroyd and Fairfield City Councils. Some weed removal works have been done at Mirambeena Regional Park in Bankstown while other weed removal and revegetation work is set to commence in Holroyd and Fairfield in August 2011.
The SMP provides key recommendations for a number of sections along the Prospect Creek riparian zones requiring weed control, tree planting and bush regeneration. It also provides other recommendations including the need to complete rehabilitation and stabilisation works to bridge abutments, stormwater outlets and creek banks in a number of areas. The key management issues are identified including litter and water quality and the need to install water quality improvement devices to help mitigate these issues.
For further details regarding this project, please contact Nicole Thomas on 9725 0264 or by email ngthomas@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au Further information about Prospect Creek and this project is available at http://www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au
Objectives of the Project
The objectives of the project are to:
- Improve the condition and extent of native vegetation communities along the Prospect Creek riparian corridor
- Increase understanding of the current biological values of the creek’s riparian corridor
- Identify, assess and prioritise Local Government management actions to rehabilitate the ecological functions of Prospect Creek
- Develop relationships between land mangers, indigenous groups and community members to better manage Prospect Creek
- Increase awareness of the significance of Prospect Creek and encourage greater participation in the rehabilitation of the creek by the local community
Background
The Prospect Creek Catchment is located in southwest Sydney and is a tributary of the Georges River Catchment. The creek is approximately 26 kilometres long and starts at the Prospect Reservoir at the top of the catchment and flows to the Georges River at Georges Hall.
The creek is typical of an urban waterway and is threatened by a range of activities and associated infrastructure. The area is heavily built up with a population of over 190,000 people. The dominant landuse within the creeks catchment is a mix of light industrial and residential.
In many places, vegetation along the creek banks has been cleared down to the edge of the channel, leaving it more vulnerable to urban and industrial runoff, weed invasion, erosion and rubbish dumping.
In response to growing community concern regarding the poor environmental state of Prospect Creek, the City Councils of Fairfield, Bankstown and Holroyd have received $550,000 grant funding from the NSW Environmental Trust. The funding will be used to create a Strategic Management Plan and to implement a rehabilitation plan that will provide improvements to the quality of the creek.