\ Cl•� City of � CITY OF - MELVILLE �,Canning SWAN RIVER TRUST Lower Canning River Management Plan t :;·.-7:=--·· •·;-· '~ ' , .. "' .... .. ~ I •' - • r, C: LI r.; t:.: ' f'' • . •-• - "°l ~ :..-;~ 1.~;}/: ·:cJ;,::..\-;·,.:,_,. -. ,. i ~,,,_-._.,,;. • • ..,J ~/ ,-.\ I I,'~, • '•: • / / Swan River Trust Report No. 23 1995 SWANe1 Minisayfor Planning RIVER WESTERNAUSTWJA TRUST SWAN RIVER TRUST 16th floor 'London House' Postal address: 216 St Georges Terrace Box 7248, PO PERTH Cloisters Square Western Australia 6000 PERTH Tel: (09) 327 9700 Western Australia 6850 Fax: (09) 327 9770 Lower Canning River Management Plan Prepared by N Siemon Swan River Trust 216 St Georges Terrace Perth WA 6000 Report No. 23 August 1995 (i) ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people must be acknowledged for their assistance during preparation of this report. All Swan River Trust and Waterways Commission staff, particularly Bev Thurlow and Greg Davis, provided extensive advice on issues of concern in the Canning River. Their contributions were invaluable to the preparation of this ·report. Jenna Brooker and Gil Masters from City of South Perth, Steve Atwell (City of Canning) and Mark Street '(City of Melville) all provided information towards the development of recommendations relevant to their study areas. Canning River Estuary Watercare (CREW), Canning River Residents Environment Protection Association (CRREPA), Shelley Sailing Club and 1st Deep Water Point group all contributed issues and ideas for the study area. Maps were prepared by Brett Harrison with the assistance of the Integrated Land Information Programme using the WA Land Information System. This document was edited by Dianne Frylink and desktop published by Joanna Noakes. Membership of the Lower Canning River Management Committee Steve Atwell City of Canning Mark Street City of Melville Gil Masters City of South Perth Bob Curry Department of Planning and Urban Development David Kennedy Aquinas College Chris Christie Aquinas College Greg Davis Swan River Trust Nicole Siemon Swan River Trust ISBN 0 7309 6813 8 ISSN 1033-9779 (ii) FOREWORD The lower Canning River is one of the most heavily used and extensively developed sections of the Swan and Canning River system. Recreation activities include powerboating, waterskiing, sailing, rowing, fishing, prawning and swimming. The foreshores are also used for recreation associated with these activities as well as cycling, walking and bird watching. Other areas also have considerable conservation and landscape value, in particular Mount Henry, Bull Creek and the Clontarf foreshore. The Swan River Management Strategy (1988) recommends that a management plan be prepared for the area, addressing all the issues and bringing together all the findings and recommendations of previous and current studies in a coordinated manner. A draft management plan was prepared by the Swan River Trust with the assistance of the Cities of Melville, South Perth and Canning, Department of Planning and Urban Development, Department of Transport and Aquinas College. The draft attracted wide community interest. As a result a number of important amendments were incorporated into this final plan, for example modifying the text to recognise the value of the Raffles Hotel site. This document is one of a number of management plans for foreshores areas that have been completed in recent years. Growing community concern for the river system combined with the Government commitment to cleaning up the river system by providing funding for the 'Swan and Canning River Cleanup Program' will ensure more effective management of the river system in years to come. During the public submission period interest groups committed to ensuring the long term integrity of the river system indicated their support for ongoing involvement in use and management of the area. This document provides the framework to work cooperatively with these community groups to improve the river environment. It is opportune that this community support has coincided with the completion of the plan and the Trust can embark on this cooperative approach to future management of the river environment with a substantial number of committed people for support. An implementation committee will be established and will include three community representatives. This is a new Swan River Trust initiative which ensures the cooperative approach to management is continued and the process of implementation will be open to public scrutiny. I am delighted with the spirit of cooperation which has resulted in this document and the commitment by all parties for ongoing involvement. The Trust will be working hard to implement the recommendations of this report and achieve the defined objectives. The Trust looks forward to continuing to work with the community in pursuing its important charter. Chairman Swan River Trust (iii) SUMMARY The Swan and Canning estuarine system is a major landscape feature and recreational resource in the Perth metropolitan area. These waterways and their foreshores provide a focus for recreation, and function as wildlife habitat for a range of plants and animals. The community supports the protection and rehabilitation of the estuarine waters and associated plant and animal communities. The Swan River Trust has a role in managing the Swan and Canning Rivers in cooperation with other State and local government authorities and the community. The Swan River Management Strategy (1988) identified the need to provide a framework for managing the lower reaches of the Canning River, downstream of Shelley Bridge. As a result the process to develop the Draft Lower Canning River Management Plan was commenced in 1993. A project team was established which included representatives from the Swan River Trust, Cities of Canning, Melville and South Perth, Department of Planning and Urban Development, Department of Environmental Protection and Aquinas College to develop the main aim and objectives for the management plan. The aim of the study is to produce an extensive management plan for the area which addresses the issues associated with the development, conservation and management of the river and associated land. The broad planning and management issues were identified through consultation with State and local authorities, interested groups and the community. General recommendations were developed for the broad issues, and site-specific issues were addressed with a series of recommendations. All recommendations provide a framework to achieve the aim and objectives of the plan. The Draft Lower Canning River Management Plan was released for public comment in February 1994. Due to the high level of community interest, submissions were accepted until August 1994. Nineteen formal submissions were received and considered in preparation of the final plan. A number of amendments were made to the document as a result of the submissions. All of the submissions were generally supportive of the recommendations within the document and provided a number of constructive suggestions. Readers are referred to Appendix 1 for a more detailed account of submissions and amendments to the final management plan. (iv) Major initiative of the plan The major initiative of the plan is to stabilise and revegetate the Lower Canning River banks to improve landscape and wildlife values and provide for better managed public use. The recommendations made in this report are intended to achieve each of the objectives. Landuse planning Objective: "Identify landuses that are compatible with the conservation of the river and foreshores." Effective resource management depends on recognising constraints as well as opportunities. The management plan seeks to protect the estuarine environment by identifying the type and level of development and use which can occur in particular areas without loss of natural values or increased management costs. The recommendations provide for: • Reservation and vesting of foreshores. • Assessment of proposals for commercial development to ensure that social, environmental and physical planning criteria are met. • Protection of landscape values of the area. • Provision for and management of public access. Conservation and rehabilitation Objective: "Conserve and enhance the natural environment." Conservation of waterway margins through restoration and maintenance of fringing vegetation and control of erosion. The recommendations are directed towards: • Renourishing beaches. • Undertaking revegetation work and reinforcement planting of fringing vegetation to improve fauna habitat and riverbank stability. • Upgrading drainage outlets. • Controlling and eradicating weeds in fringing rush beds. • Undertaking stream ban:k stabilisation erosion control works. Water quality Objective: "Protect the river and its foreshores from pollution." Water quality in the Canning River has declined with increased leaching of nutrients and other pollutants into the river. This seriously affects biological productivity and diversity, economic and amenity values. The recommendations are directed towards: • Improved urban catchment management to reduce fertiliser intake and control pollution from point sources such as fuel stations. • Increased monitoring of water quality. (v) Recreation Objective: "Provide opportunity for recreational use and public enjoyment of the river and foreshore areas." The Canning River is a major recreational resource for local people and tourists. Management planning should provide for a wide range of recreational opportunities while ensuring that