There are currently two major projects underway which will have a significant impact on the water quality of the Lane Cove River, and should see major improvements over the next 15-20 years.

Sydney Water’s Sewer Overflow Environmental Impact Statements.

These documents are currently on public display and cover the current situation in regards to overflows and their impacts in the Lane Cove River, and the proposals to improve this situation.

Currently in the Lane Cove River Catchment there are approximately 20 overflow events a year, which contribute most of the faecal coliform pollution, and around half of the nitrogen and phosphorus. Not only do such overflows prevent safe swimming conditions and reduce the river’s value for recreation, they affect aquatic ecosystems, and increase nutrient levels in soil along waterlines, causing weed growth and killing native bush. One of the major overflows, in the lower Lane Cove River, will be dealt with by theNorthside Sewage Storage Tunnel being built between Lane Cove and Manly. The other major overflow, Glouster Avenue, is the 5th largest overflow in Sydney Harbour, and the most frequent. However it only contributes to half of the overflow problem in the upper catchment - the rest comes from uncontrolled overflows such as from access chambers and gullies on private land. These are caused by stormwater entering the system through cracked pipes, illegal connections and bad joints. To solve these upper catchment overflow problems Sydney Water is proposing a program to address these causes.

The EIS proposes to reduce the frequency of overflows in the Lane Cove River Catchment to approximately 4/yr, by the year 2010. This will be achieved by the completion of the Storage tunnel, and by other techniques such as relining and replacing the pipes, and resealing joints. This should achieve reductions in the levels of Faecal Coliforms, Nitrogen and Phosphorus, and an increased protection of aquatic ecosystem. The estimated number of safe swimming days (based on ANZEC guidelines) in the lower river could increase from 323 to 358 days per year. The total proposal for improvements across Sydney, over the next 20 years, will cost approximately 2 billion dollars, which could be covered by the current Sydney Water pricing levels. This is a major investment by Sydney Water into the maintenance of the system, and the improvement of the environment.

The Lane Cove River CMC is currently reviewing the EIS documents, and will prepare a submission, which will be published here once it is available. The opportunity for Public Comments on the overflow problem and the proposed solutions closes on OCTOBER 1ST 1998. Copies of the EIS are available on the internet at www.sydney water.com.au or are on display at Local Councils and Sydney Water Offices ( including Chatswood). The Lane Cove River CMC encourages interested community groups and individuals to make a submission on the EIS plans for the Lane Cove River Catchment. For more information on this email the coordinator at rnicolson@dlwc.nsw.gov.au , or call her on 9895 7452.

In addition to the problems affecting the main sewer lines, owned and operated by Sydney Water, there is at least an equal length of privately owned sewer lines, the ones that connect properties to the main sewer lines. These pipes can also be cracked, damaged, and leak at the joints, particularly in older suburbs - which all contributes to the overall sewer overflow problem. These pipes are beyond Sydney Water’s control and are the responsibility of individual property owners. Unfortunately this means that in the Lane Cove River catchment there could be many 100’s of kms of leaking pipes, going undetected and therefore unrepaired. These pipes are also contributing to sewer overflows, and the resultant environmental problems of poor water quality and degraded bushland. If these pipes were required to be checked and maintained regularly we could see even further improvements in the health of our River and the surrounding Bushland.

The seven councils of the Lane Cove River Catchment ( Hornsby, Ryde, Parramatta, Hunters Hill, Lane Cove, Willoughby, and Ku-ring-gai) are working together to produce a plan to manage stormwater in a coordinated manner across the whole catchment. This plan is partly funded by the councils and is supported by grants from the EPA. The Lane Cove River CMC is supporting the process with the assistance of their coordinator.

Currently stormwater is one of the major problems affecting the Lane Cove River. With the increased amount of hard surfaces in the catchment, associated with development, the amount of runoff has increased, and its quality decreased over time. It has caused problems such as decreased water quality ( approx. 50% of Nitrogen and Phosphorus in the water is from stormwater sources), sedimentation, erosion, rubbish along creeks and in bushland, and declining bushland quality (from increased moisture levels, nutrients, and disturbance). When our stormwater drainage system was designed the gutters and the connected drains under the roads were allowed to empty uncontrolled into our creeks and bushland. We now need solutions that minimise the impact of this stormwater by decreasing it’s quantity, improving it’s quality, and repairing some of the damage it has caused.

The aim of the Stormwater Management Plan is to establish the current situation, and the impacts of stormwater on the catchment, and to develop a catchment wide strategy to be implemented by all councils, in cooperation, to solve these problems. The end result should be an improvement in water quality, a decreased impact on bushland, and a healthier catchment and river.

To achieve these outcomes the Councils need YOUR help. As part of the development of the Stormwater Management Plan two community consultation sessions will be held by the Lane Cove River CMC, around November 1998 and February 1999. The first will collect community views on the problems of stormwater and the issues for environmental protection in the catchment, which will be used in preparing the draft plan. The second will give the community an opportunity to comment on and contribute to the draft plan. This is an important way of making sure the issues you are most concerned about are included, and will result in a better plan that reflects the needs of the whole catchment.

For more information on the Stormwater Management Planning Process, or to register your interest in attending the public consultation sessions email the LCRCMC Coordinator, Rebecca Nicolson, at rnicolson@dlwc.nsw.gov.au. Or watch the local press.