State of Environment Report 2007-08 - Wollongong City Council

Water (naitnun) | State of the Environment Report 2007-2008Water (naitnun)Water (naitnun)Current state and pressuresWater quality in the streams, coastal lagoons and wetlands in theWollongong LGA requires improvement because it generallydoes not meet the water quality guidelines for the protection ofaquatic ecosystems and primary and secondary recreation. Themain pressures on water quality include sewerage overflows,urban runoff, on-site sewage management systems, rural runoff,industrial point source discharges, and illegal dumping and litter.During 2007-08, Council received a total of 207 water pollutioncomplaints from the community, with the majority relating to onsitesewage management systems and runoff from sediment andwastewater from residential premises.In accordance with the sewage treatment system licenses, SydneyWater has to advise the Department of Environment and ClimateChange (DECC) of any dry weather sewage overflows. Sydney Waterreported four dry weather overflows during 2007-08.Major responsesEstuary Management PlansCouncil endorsed the Estuary Management Plan for Fairy, Towradgiand Hewitts/Tramway creeks in December 2005. During 2007-08,the following actions were taken to implement the plan:● A boat ramp and viewing platform were constructed at TowradgiCreek, making a valuable addition to the recreational facilitiesavailable to the community in the Towradgi and East Corrimalarea. For years model boat enthusiasts have used the barebank to launch their boats. The Corrimal Surf Life Saving Clubalso used the area for launching their boat and surf life savingtraining. These activities were causing gradual erosion of thecreek bank, threatening water quality in the lagoon. Constructionof the facility allows the use of the creek for these activities,whilst protecting it and the surrounding environment fromfurther degradation. The boat ramp is intended for launching ofnon-motorised craft only.● Council is conducting a foreshore pollutant audit of Towradgiand Fairy creeks. Poor water quality isa critical issue for these creeks whoseestuaries are located in highly urbanisedareas. Stormwater can enter the creeksthrough several sources and currentlythere is no information on the quality ofthese inputs. The purpose of this projectis to obtain information on the quality ofstormwater flows to Fairy and Towradgicreeks and use this information toformulate potential remediation optionsto improve water quality.● Assessment of water quality requires theavailability of benchmarks or guidelinesagainst which a water body can beassessed for a particular use. Guidelineshave been developed by ANZECC andARMCANZ (ANZECC 2000) for variouswater uses such as protection of aquaticecosystems and recreation. Many ofthe water bodies in Wollongong oftenfail to meet the ANZECC guidelines forprotection of aquatic ecosystems inmoderately disturbed areas. However,these guidelines do not have specificprovisions for estuaries which are onlyintermittently open to the ocean, nor arethey applicable to water courses locatedin highly developed areas. For thesesituations, ANZECC (2000) recommendsthat localised guidelines are developed.During 2007-08, Council has commenceda project aimed at localising the ANZECC(2000) guidelines so that they can be08 Wollongong City Council