State of the Environment Supplementary Report 2006/07
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State of the Environment Supplementary Report 2006/07 COVER IMAGE: A view over Lake Parramatta showing both native and introduced flora. 1 Contents List of Tables............................................................................ 3 List of Figures .......................................................................... 3 List of Images .......................................................................... 3 Executive Summary ................................................................. 4 Key Responses to Environmental Pressures 2006/07 ......4 Key Plans and Strategies 2006/07 ....................................5 Achievements in 2006/07 ..................................................6 Councils Strategic Direction .................................................... 7 Land ......................................................................................... 9 Pressures and State............................................................9 Responses ...........................................................................9 Water ..................................................................................... 12 Pressures and State..........................................................12 Responses .........................................................................15 Atmosphere and Global Warming.......................................... 17 Pressures and State..........................................................17 Responses .........................................................................18 Biodiversity............................................................................ 21 Pressures and State..........................................................21 Responses .........................................................................22 Noise ...................................................................................... 24 IMAGE 1: Stormwater drainage line Pressures and State..........................................................24 rehabilitation. Hospital Farm Reserve, Responses .........................................................................24 Bevan Street, Northmead Waste..................................................................................... 25 Pressures and State..........................................................25 Responses .........................................................................25 Aboriginal Heritage................................................................ 27 Pressures and State..........................................................27 Responses .........................................................................27 Non-Indigenous Heritage ...................................................... 28 Pressures and State..........................................................28 Responses .........................................................................28 IMAGE 2: Wanderer Butterfly on a Scotch Acknowledgements ............................................................... 29 Thistle (Circium vulgare) located at Contact Us.............................................................................. 29 Campbell Hill Reserve 2 IMAGE 11: A view of Toongabbie Creek looking downstream from List of Tables Redbank Road, Northmead TABLE 1: ParramattaTwenty25 Destinations and Strategies IMAGE 12: Quarry Branch Creek pool TABLE 2: Conditions of Streams in Parramatta IMAGE 13: A view of Parramatta River looking east TABLE 3: Air pollution reading and complaints IMAGE 14: Litter boom at Duck River, Norford Park, South Granville TABLE 4: Waste Tonnages Comparison IMAGE 15: Lake Parramatta Dam overflows IMAGE 16: Clean up Australia Day at Campbell Hill Reserve, Guildford IMAGE 17: Controlled Burning at Lake Parramatta List of Figures IMAGE 18 Cleaning up Parramatta River FIGURE 1: Water Sensitive Urban Design Works IMAGE 19: Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo's (Cacatua galerita) in flight above Toongabbie Creek FIGURE 2: Water Consumption in Parramatta LGA 2006/07 (Source: IMAGE 20: White-faced Heron at Crowgey Street Reserve, Rydalmere Sydney Water) IMAGE 21: Short-finned Eel (Anguilla australis) located at Toongabbie Creek IMAGE 22: Buses departing the Transport Interchange heading west List of Images along Argyle Street, Parramatta COVER: A view over Lake Parramatta showing both native and IMAGE 23: Kerbside collection in North Parramatta introduced flora IMAGE 24: Council's garbage collection trucks IMAGE 1: Stormwater drainage line rehabilitation. Hospital Farm IMAGE 25: Rock shelter at Quarry Branch Creek Reserve, Bevan Street, Northmead IMAGE 26: Female Orphan School, located at UWS Parramatta IMAGE 2: Wanderer Butterfly on a Scotch Thistle (Circium vulgare) Campus located at Campbell Hill Reserve IMAGE 27: Panoramic view of IMAGE 3: Council's Natural Resource Office working with local Parramatta River, Parramatta Bushcare Groups at George Kendall Riverside Park, Regional Park Ermington IMAGE 4: Church Street between Macquarie and George Streets IMAGE 5: New Children's Playground in Church Street Mall located between Darcy and Macquarie Streets IMAGE 6: Lake Parramatta IMAGE 7: Locals enjoying the new Public Artwork, AIRMASTER, in the laneway between 315-317 Church Street, Parramatta IMAGE 8: AIRMASTER ventilation shaft at west end of laneway IMAGE 9: AIRMASTER air conditioning fan and ventilation shaft looking west from Church Street IMAGE 3: Council's Natural Resource Office IMAGE 10: Church Street South prior to start of streetscape working with local Bushcare Groups at George enhancements Kendall Riverside Park, Ermington 3 The 2006/07 SoE reports on the major environmental pressures that Executive Summary face the Parramatta Local Government Area (LGA) and provides an explanation of the state of the eight environmental sectors including The NSW Local Government Act 1993 requires councils, councillors and Land, Water, Biodiversity, Noise, Waste, Air (covering the Atmosphere council employees to have regard to the principles of ecologically and Global Warming), Aboriginal Heritage and Non-Aboriginal Heritage. sustainable development in carrying out their responsibilities. Each financial year Parramatta City Council prepares a State of the Within the SoE, Council explains in detail how the organisation Environment (SoE) report in accordance with the Act. responded to identified pressures facing the City by preparing environmental plans, targeted strategies and monitoring of State government legislation states that SoE reports are to comply with performance trends. the Pressure-State-Response model of environmental decision-making. Key Responses to Environmental Pressures 2006/07 Pressures: Impacts of human activities on the immediate During the reporting period, Council undertook the following key environmental sector and natural surrounds. responses to pressures affecting our environment: State: Current and projected condition of the Environmental sector, for example; Biodiversity. • Removed approximately 135 tonnes of sediment, litter and Responses: Reactions of Councils, government, industries and organic matter from Council’s stormwater gross pollutant traps communities to the pressures on and the state of the that would otherwise have choked our waterways; environment. • Carried out Waterways Rehabilitation Projects at 17 sites within the Ponds, Vineyard, Toongabbie, Quarry Branch, Parramatta River and Duck River catchments; • Reduced the amount of sediment entering waterways through stabilisation and revegetation works, restoring native vegetation cover and removing dangerous trees; • Installed interpretive signs at the George Kendall Reserve to raise awareness of native grasslands and locally-rare wattles; • Adopted a Climate Action Plan (2006-2011) for Council to work towards state Climate Action Principles which guide the policy setting and implementation of Council initiatives that relate to climate change. The Plan also defines 28 specific community actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the Parramatta LGA; • Completed a Platypus Recovery Plan and Survey for Toongabbie Creek; IMAGE 4: Church Street between Macquarie and George Streets 4 • Developed a draft Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery (WARR) Plan as a framework and a guide for the management of consumption, waste avoidance, resource recovery and waste services in the Parramatta LGA. It will provide guidance for Parramatta’s future waste services; • In conjunction with its new waste contractor Cleanaway, council have commenced a series of educational workshops directed at local primary and high schools covering such topics as decreased consumption, recycling, resource recovery and disposal; • Re-established the Sharps Task Force to improve free disposal services to needle and syringe users; • Undertook a detailed Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal archaeological survey as part of the Quarry Branch Creek Waterways Rehabilitation and Maintenance Master Plan. A number of additional sites were discovered and listed on the Aboriginal Heritage Information Systems administered by the IMAGE 5: New Children's Playground in Church Street Mall located between Darcy NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC); and Macquarie Streets • Continued to build relationships with Aboriginal communities, relying on the advice of its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Key Plans and Strategies 2006/07 (ATSI) Advisory Committee; The following list of plans and strategies have been developed by • Undertook studies in Toongabbie and