 No longer out of sight and out of mind
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth. We are
constantly reminded of the pressures imposed on our water resources
and their related ecosystems. In twenty years time, Adelaide's
citizens face the prospect of only being able to drink Murray River
water, three of every five days. Salinity is making the river water
undrinkable while sediments threaten to choke the Murray's mouth.
The Clean Seas Program
The Commonwealth's
Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) supports the Clean Seas Program (CSP)
with over $40m funding. The program encourages changes in
conventional water management to reverse damage to the marine
environment caused by runoff and sewage.
Urban Stormwater Initiative
On World
Environment Day, Senator Robert Hill, the Minister for Environment
and Heritage, launched a combined stormwater and wastewater
management project for Parafield in Adelaide. The Parafield project
is part of the $8.2 million commitment by the Commonwealth Government
for the Urban Stormwater Initiative (USI), under Living Cities.
Wetlands to the rescue of Port Phillip
Bay
Wetland systems have been part of our natural landscape
for millions of years. They play an important role in natural water
treatment. Constructed wetlands are now featuring as an effective
tool in improving the water quality in Melbourne's Port Phillip
Bay.
Partnership turns a problem into a
resource
A recent Senate Inquiry has raised concerns over the
impacts of stormwater and wastewater discharges on the health of
Adelaide's Gulf St Vincent. These pollution streams are equivalent in
volume to the city's mains water demand, much of which comes from the
Murray River.
Townsville leads on reef protection
Improving stormwater quality from tropical catchments draining
into the Great Barrier Reef is a major challenge. The Commonwealth
Government's Clean Seas Program and Urban Stormwater Initiative are
assisting Townsville's new approach to managing stormwater pollution
in tropical conditions.
Not a drop goes to waste
Hobart's
Brighton district has transformed itself. Once shunned, the district
now attracts new residents and businesses largely due to a range of
environmental projects. Prior to 1999, the district had 165
unoccupied public housing dwellings. People refused to move in even
though their housing situation was desperate. Today, Brighton has a
waiting list for public housing.
Wastewater creates a valuable oil
Through an innovative approach to wastewater management,
Shoalhaven City Council is contributing to cleaner coastal waters.
The Northern Region Reclaimed Water Management Scheme will be the
largest effluent recycling scheme in NSW. It is a cooperative
project involving the Shoalhaven City Council, the NSW Department of
Land and Water Conservation and local farmers.
Stormwater reuse for Manly's Norfolk
Pines
As part of a catchment-wide approach, the famous Norfolk
Island pines on Manly's seaside promenade will benefit from an
innovative stormwater recycling system.
St Kilda breakthrough in water sensitive
urban design
Melbourne's City of Port Phillip has won two
United Nations Association of Australia World Environmental Day
Awards for local government. Council received awards for "Overall
Excellence in Environment Management" and "Best Specific
Environmental Initiative" for a 236 unit Housing Development at the
former St.Kilda works depot.
Three R's at work in WA
Recovery,
Reuse and Recycling wastewater and stormwater are high on the agenda
to improve the quality of Perth's coastal waters. With an injection
of $3m, the Commonwealth Government's Clean Seas Program is
supporting a range of integrated projects in Western Australia's
water recovery and reuse program.
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