Projects in the Flow

Update on Harrington Park Floating Wetland 

In 2020, Council installed a floating wetland raft in Harrington Park Wetlands to help remove nutrients, sediment, heavy metals and some hydrocarbons from stormwater. The floating wetland raft was planted with native wetland plants that also provide habitat to aquatic wildlife. These works were funded by the Australian Government’s Communities Environment Program and can be seen at the end of Dillon Court, Harrington Park.

Through regular water quality testing at the Harrington Park Wetlands over three years, the site has seen total phosphorous levels stabilise and total nitrogen levels reduce. The wetland plants on the floating wetland raft continue to thrive, provide habitat to wildlife, and improve on the quality of water in Narellan Creek.

Narellan Creek improvement at Eskdale Reserve

The improvement works at Eskdale Reserve, Mount Annan were completed on schedule in early March 2022 and are expected to help improve the water quality of Narellan Creek. The works included removal of litter, accumulated sediment, and weeds. The creek channel was also realigned, new native trees and plants added, and the adjacent pathway fitted with solar lighting. A low height fence was also installed to prevent windblown and dumped litter entering the pond and creek.

 Nepean River, Our River

Council developed and published the ‘Nepean River, Our River’ video series in partnership with Penrith City Council. This video series explores the history and use of the Nepean River, what both Councils are doing to improve water quality and how you too can help limit your impact on our waterways. The videos can be viewed on Council’s YouTube Channel or website.

 Waterway Walks

There are Waterway Walks at Kolombo Creek (Oran Park), Narellan Creek (Harrington Park) and Narellan Creek (Mount Annan). All three Waterway Walk guides and Bingo cards can be downloaded here.

Aquatic weed control

Aquatic weeds have the ability to cover waterbodies, suffocate native vegetation and negatively impact water quality. Council manages aquatic weeds, including Alligator Weed, Frogbit and Kidney-leaf Mud Plantain, throughout the local government area and also works with neighbouring councils to protect the Nepean River and other waterways.

Platypus monitoring

Council’s Platypus environmental DNA (eDNA) Monitoring Program for the Nepean River and its tributaries, will continue after disappointing post flood results in February 2023. Council is looking to the next round of sampling results to detect the presence of platypus in our waterways. If you see a platypus, please report your sighting by contacting Council or the Australian Platypus Conservancy.

 Canopy Enhancement – Ferguson’s Land

Another NSW State Government Greening our City funded project is underway at Ferguson’s Land. This project enhanced the original landscape plan for the Ferguson’s Land Cricket Facility and saw the restoration of a section of riparian vegetation through weed removal and revegetation.

Sediment and erosion control

Erosion and sediment can degrade the water quality and health of local waterways, so it is essential that control measures are effectively used to help prevent sediment and debris from leaving development sites and entering stormwater drains and our waterways. During 2022/23, Council undertook 1,990 inspections of the sediment and erosion control measures at 1,280 building sites within the Camden LGA. As a result, 858 formal warning letters were issued for site improvements to builders and developers.

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) Operational Guidelines

To better understand stormwater treatment measures and provide clarity for Council and the community on how these should be maintained, Council has developed the Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) Operational Guidelines. If you have a rainwater tank or other stormwater asset, this document will also help guide you on how to best operate it.