One of the new stormwater Health Snapshot treatment systems at Wentworth Falls IMAGE: Ian Brown IMAGE: Ian David Mark IMAGE: Managing urban runoff: More ways to help 2O18 your rates at work Report pollution This new stormwater treatment system is one of 17 NSW Environment Line 131 555 structures to be built as part of a $700,000 joint effort by Council and WaterNSW to protect Wentworth Falls Report sewage leaks Lake, Jamison Creek and Sydney’s water supply. Sydney Water 13 20 90 This initiative will: Dispose of chemicals safely 4 n filter pollutants such as litter, faecal bacteria, Household Chemical Cleanout: nitrogen and phosphorus www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/cleanout n4 reduce stormwater surges Become a volunteer n4 protect creek banks and reduce erosion www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/envirovolunteers n4 actively engage local schools and the community We currently manage urban runoff and weeds with the help of approx. 500 the city within volunteers at 130 sites across the city. Locked Bag 1005 the city within a World Heritage 2 Civic Place Katoomba NSW 2780 a World Heritage National Park www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au To find out about volunteering, visit: T 02 4780 5000 PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER E [email protected] National Park www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/envirovolunteers CREDITED IMAGES Boy in creek: Ona Janzen | Glenbrook Lagoon: Ian Brown Wentworth Falls: Murray Fredericks | Frog: Lucy Kidson PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER How healthy In 2011, hydraulic fluid from a truck crash entered are our the stormwater system, turning Leura Cascades waterways? into a kilometre-long chemical bubble bath. How you can help This annual Health Snapshot offers a brief look at the state Keep drains only for rain of our waterways, based on regular monitoring by Council. A simple, effective way to protect your local creek is to This year, we include ratings for both ecological health and keep pollutants out of the stormwater drains on your recreational water quality. How stormwater property and in your street. You can find detailed Waterways Reports at www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/waterways affects our waterways TIP By washing your car on the lawn instead of on the street or driveway, you can keep up to 100L Ecological Health of polluted water out of your local creek. We rate the ecological health of each Stormwater runoff is a major cause of poor waterway waterway as either excellent, good, fair or poor, health and water quality in our city. Take Care with pesticides! using waterbugs as indicators Stormwater is rain runoff from hard surfaces such as Recent testing showed that pesticides are of creek health. roofs, roads, driveways and footpaths. When it rains, prevalent in many of our waterways, harming Good our stormwater system pipes this runoff Excellent aquatic life such as crayfish. % Waterways in good directly to our waterways. TIP Protect aquatic wildlife by considering 61 to excellent health Poor alternative pest control methods and Fair % Waterways in poor In Australia, our stormwater system never let pesticides enter drains or creeks. 39 to fair health is separate from the sewerage system. Unlike sewage, stormwater is generally not treated before being Reduce your runoff Recreational Water Quality discharged to waterways. Collect and reuse your stormwater and minimise hard We assess levels of bacterial surfaces on your property. contamination at several popular Pollutants carried by stormwater include litter, dog TIP Keep up to 240,000L of stormwater a year out of waterways weekly over summer. Of the faeces, sewage (from broken pipes or overflows after waterways by installing a rainwater tank and sites we tested, Wentworth Falls Lake was the only heavy rain), garden clippings, weed seeds, detergents, using the water in your garden, toilet or laundry. site rated suitable for swimming most of the time. oil, pesticides, fertilisers, soil and sand. Or build a raingarden. Swimming is not recommended at other sites due to Stormwater surges also put pressure on our creeks, the likelihood of bacterial contamination. Find more tips at: causing erosion and habitat loss. www.yourhome.gov.au/water/stormwater ● These ratings are based on the types of Excellent health waterbugs found at each site. ● Good health Waterbugs (such as mayflies and crayfish) are widely accepted indicators Ecological waterway health ● Fair health of ecological creek health. A rich variety of sensitive waterbugs indicates in the City of Blue Mountains ● Poor health a healthy waterway. Colo Catchment Glenbrook Catchment Kedumba Cachment ●1 Waterfall Creek ●13 Florabella Pass Creek ●33 Gordon Creek ●14 Glenbrook Creek ●34 Jamison Creek Coxs Catchment ●15 Glenbrook Creek ●35 Wentworth Falls Lake 16 36 ●2 Centennial Glen Creek ● Glenbrook Creek tributary ● Kedumba Creek 17 37 ●3 Fairy Dell Creek ● Magdala Creek ● Kedumba River 38 ●4 Megalong Creek ● Leura Falls Creek Grose Catchment 39 ●5 Megalong Creek tributary ● Lillians Glen ●6 ●18 Pulpit Hill Creek Adams Creek Nepean Catchment ●7 Pulpit Hill Creek tributary ●19 Bridal Veil Creek/ Govetts Leap Brook ●40 Cripple Creek Erskine Catchment 20 ● Dantes Glen ●41 Fitzgerald Creek 21 ● Govetts Creek 42 ●8 Bedford Creek ● Frasers Creek 22 ● Grose River tributary 43 ●9 Bedford Creek tributary ● Frasers Creek tributary 23 ● Hat Hill Creek 44 ●10 Cataract Creek ● Knapsack Creek 24 ● Hazelbrook Creek 45 ●11 Lawson Creek ● Lapstone Creek 25 ● Katoomba Creek 46 ●12 Terrace Falls Creek ● Glenbrook Lagoon 26 ● Popes Glen Creek ●47 Long Angle Creek 27 ● Springwood Creek ●48 Strathdon Creek NEW 28 ● Water Nymphs Dell ●49 Blue Gum Swamp Creek NEW ●29 Wentworth Creek ●30 Woodford Creek ●31 Yosemite Creek ●32 Linden Creek Tributary NEW Is it safe to swim? The advice below is based on weekly testing for bacterial contamination over summer. If planning to swim, you should also consider other factors such as water depth, temperature and submerged hazards. As a general precaution, avoid swimming during and for up to three days following rain or if there are signs of pollution in the water. Be aware that water quality can change at any time. Wentworth Falls Lake Generally good microbial water quality. Water is suitable for swimming most of the time. Glenbrook Lagoon and Megalong Creek (Old Ford Reserve) These sites are susceptible to faecal pollution. Water quality may not be suitable for swimming, especially after rain. Minnehaha Falls (Yosemite Creek) Currently closed to the public due to geological instability..