Prepared by

Dr. Jane Hall

Regional Strategist, Southern Sydney Regional Organisation

Nicole Wilmot

Regional Organisation Co-ordinator, Southern Sydney Catchment

Acknowledgments

The preparation of the Southern Sydney Regional Strategic Plan has been made possible by the assistance of many people. Their support, time and patience was greatly appreciated and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them.

Peter Wells, Chair of the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation/Chair Hacking River CMC

Chairpersons and coordinators of Georges, Hacking and Cooks CMC

Members of local councils Susanna Savolainen Botany Bay Council, Peter Davies Waverley Council and David Gathercole Randwick City Council.

Individuals of State Government and non-government agencies including Department Land and Water Conservation, Environment Protection Authority, Sydney Water, Waterways Authority, National Parks and Wildlife Services, NSW Fisheries, Department Urban Affairs and Planning, Greening Australia and Nature Conservation Council.

Individuals of Regional Organisation of Councils including Inner Metropolitan Regional Organisation of Councils, and Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, Sydney Coastal Councils Group, Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, Macarthur Regional Organisation of Council.

 Table of Contents

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1. REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FRAMEWORK FOR SOUTHERN SYDNEY CATCHMENT

3. MATRIX

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‘ To promote, encourage and facilitate ecologically sustainable natural resource management in the Southern Sydney Catchments ‘

 

 
 

REGIONAL STRATEGIC PLAN FRAMEWORK FOR SOUTHERN SYDNEY CATCHMENT

 

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1. Introduction - Southern Sydney at a Glance

 

The Southern Sydney Catchments comprises of the Georges, Hacking and Cooks River and the Sydney Eastern Beaches/Botany Bay sub - catchments. It covers an area of 1317 km² with a population of approximately 1.66M. The catchment extends from the Local Government areas of Waverley, south along the coastline and inland to Wollondilly, north west to Campbelltown and north to Fairfield and Bankstown. It includes up to 17 Local Government areas.

 

The Georges River sub-catchment, the largest subcatchment within the Southern Sydney Catchment, supports a variety of landuse, from market gardens and oyster leases to nuclear research facilities and extractive industries. At present 69% of the catchment is open space and 24% residential. Its major tributary, the Woronora River, supplies drinking water to parts of southern Sydney.

 

The Hacking River sub-catchment is a unique urban catchment with 60% of the total area consisting of the Royal National Park and Garawarra State Recreation Area, the remainder is residential land in the north and semi-rural townships in the south. Other landuses include; conservation, light industry, recreation and commercial uses. Much of the catchment forms the eastern part of the larger Woronora Plateau and due to its topography delivers high rainfall to the Sydney region.

 

The Cooks River sub-catchment is located within the inner south western Sydney area. It begins as a small watercourse near Bankstown and flows 23 kilometres in an easterly direction to Botany Bay (near Kingsford Smith Airport). The catchment is highly developed which impacts upon the water quality of the Cooks River.

 

The Sydney Eastern Beaches/Botany Bay area extends south along the coastline from the Local Government areas of Waverley to Botany Bay and west to the border of the Cooks River Catchment. It boasts good beaches, rugged coastlines and expansive recreational areas.

Maintaining and improving productivity through sustainable natural resource and environmental management is an important an issue in urban as in rural catchments. Rural regions can easily see a dollar outcome through increased primary production. Urban environments see the dollar outcome either directly or as a flow on effect from industries such as tourism, and recreation. Therefore urban areas need to address sustainable natural resource and environmental management to maintain and improve productivity in urban catchments.

Natural resource management must take into account not only the environmental values of the catchment, but also put them in a socio-economic context. To identify these socio-economic aspects, the following community values and attitudes were identified.

 

 

2. Community Values & Attitudes

For the people of Sydney, the environment rates as one of the highest issues of concern (EPA, 1997). The community values a healthy environment.

Common themes relevant to the 4 sub-catchments of the Southern Sydney Catchment include:

• good water quality (beaches, ocean, rivers, wetlands, creeks and lakes)
• reduction in water pollution
• recreational use of waterways (swimming and fishing)
• waste management and recycling
• improved air quality and a reduction in air pollution (including noise control and vehicle emissions)
• beach and foreshore cleanliness and
• promoting greening and bushlands (Sutherland Council 1997)
• protection of fauna and flora
• conservation of bushland and wildlife habitat
• land contamination
• appropriate fire regimes
• strengthened regulation of both the manufacturing and mining industries

These community values have also been considered along with environmental values in preparation of the Regional Strategic Plan Framework. The Regional Strategic Plan Framework addresses 7 Key Result Areas : Land, Vegetation, Water, Biodiversity, Air, Urban Development and Urban Practices, and Integrated Natural Resource Management.

1. Key Result Areas

Many areas of land within the Southern Sydney Catchment suffers from overuse. Urbanisation places enormous pressure on the viability of the land and its productivity (GRCMC, 1997). For example the Georges River catchment is under threat, for although it is currently 69% open space, it is intended to receive a high level of urban growth (GR Strategic Plan, 1997). Long term planning is essential.

The increase in impervious surfaces such as roads, footpaths and roofs in the Southern Sydney Catchment exacerbates urban runoff and natural flood events. Urban runoff affects soil erosion, water quality and quantity through downstream flooding and increased litter and sediment load carrying pollutants.

Construction work is common in the northern part of the catchment. Erosion from building sites and subsequent sedimentation of waterways is listed as a major problem in Sutherland Shire (Hacking River Catchment). As much as 5-10 tonnes of soil may be lost in a major storm event (Sutherland Council SoE, 1996). In the Cooks River catchment 25,000 tonnes is lost annually from development sites and wind erosion (CRCMC :Management Strategy June 1993)

Specific problems are associated with extractive industries particularly in the Chipping Norton area in the middle and lower reaches of the Georges River Catchment. Poor mining techniques may reduce flow velocity, cause sedimentation, channel bed and bank erosion, silting up of widened river channels and long term alterations of the river channel. Additionally, where former sites are used to deposit "clean" fill (concrete, wood and other demolition wastes), issues such soil erosion of exposed surfaces and leachate pollution may result where those sites are inadequately supervised. The impact of these issues may worsen in wet weather and during floods.

Contaminated sites are listed in many reports (Sutherland Council SoE, CMC Strategy) as widespread through the catchment. Four contaminated sites are identified in the Georges River Catchment - Little Forest Burial Ground, and Harrington’s Quarry at Lucas Heights, an area at Shell Point and some areas now used as playing fields eg. Oyster Bay Reserve (Sutherland Council SoE, 1996).

Many of these degrading processes within the catchment can be addressed through increased integrated resource management, proper planning practices and community education and involvement.

1) Depletion of land resources

1. High Priority

 

1. community ignorance of natural resource asset values and need for conservation

1. inappropriate waste generation and disposal
2. Mining - inefficient or lack of implementation and enforcement of planning
3. incomplete / ineffective landuse planning: not catchment based; local instead of regional; integrated regionally by planning authorities; non-holistic

1. High Priority
1. poor land management
2. soil erosion
3. sedimentation
4. weeds (noxious, environmental & other)
5. nutrient enrichment
6. vegetation cover - loss/decline/damage/encroachment
7. poor run-off control
8. lack of community awareness, understanding and involvement
9. loss of wetlands
2. Medium Priority
1. inappropriate landuse (residential/commercial/industrial/recreational/transport)
2. lack of planning and control causing foreshore erosion
3. contamination
4. poor fire management practices
5. inappropriate recreational use
6. poor management of domestic and feral animals

1. changing soil structure eg compaction
2. urban salinity
3. lack of flood control measures
4. bushrock removal (severe habitat loss)

3) Coastal: Dunes, Foreshore and Beach Structure Issues

1. High Priority
1. lack of appropriate planning, use and management
 
2. Medium Priority
1. sand erosion
2. wind erosion
3. storm erosion
4. inappropriate recreational use
5. inappropriate development
3. Low Priority
1. loss of foreshore access
2. degradation of intertidal areas

1. High Priority
1. lack of community awareness, understanding and involvement
 
2. Medium Priority
1. Inappropriate urban development
2. poor management of heritage items and sites
 
3. Low Priority

The declining quality and quantity of native bushland is contributed to by the encroachment of exotic weed species (such as pampas grass, willows and water hyacinth - Cooks River sub-catchment) especially in the highly urbanised areas of the catchment (Cooks River CMC: Cooks River 1996 Annual Report to the Community). In the last five years weed invasion has increased in the upper catchment of the Georges River due to urbanisation and also extends into the National Parks of the Hacking River sub-catchment (Knowles , 1996).

Other factors listed as contributing to the declining value of urban bushlands are increased nutrients from stormwater and sewage lines, poor landuse management, litter, changes in fire regimes and the lack of community understanding and involvement (CMC Strategic Plans, Local Government Reports & SoE).

National Parks and Wildlife Services completed a NSW Biodiversity Survey Program to help address the biodiversity issue in the urban environment. It is necessary to gain an understanding of Sydney’s biodiversity to appreciate what has been lost, what we still have and how we may conserve what remains (NPWS, 1997)

1. Declining Quality and Quantity of Urban Bushland, Remnant and Other Vegetation
1. High Priority
1. competition from weeds
2. reduction in endemic native species
3. poor urban run-off management practices, poor drainage, inappropriate stormwater management
4. loss of vegetation links and corridors
5. lack of community awareness, involvement & understanding
 
2. Medium Priority
1. poor land use planning & implementation (residential/commercial/industrial/recreational/transport)
2. sedimentation and nutrient enrichment
3. soil erosion
4. inappropriate fire regimes
5. increased greenhouse gas emissions
6. sewage overflows and surcharges
3. Low Priority
1. contamination

Poor ground and surface water quality identified predominantly from stormwater and sewage overflow sources are important issues within the catchments. Botany Sands Aquifer zone is the most heavily used source of groundwater in Sydney and is under threat of water quality degradation.

Stormwater drains carry excess sediment, nutrients and litter from residential and industrial areas into the catchment rivers causing siltation. Vegetation clearing resulting in erosion also contributes extensively to siltation. The Woronora River which supplies drinking water to part of southern Sydney is suffering from siltation.

Over 700 overflow points (from designed overflow points and others) currently exist in the Southern Sydney catchments. Untreated sewage entering creeks and rivers contributes to high faecal coliform levels often exceeding acceptable levels under ANZEES Guidelines.

Cronulla Sewage Treatment Plant is considered to be a major polluter of the Bate Bay area (Sutherland Council, SoE 1996). It discharges 50 ML of effluent per day in dry weather and 150 ML per day in wet weather from the outfall at Potter Point (Knowles, 1996). This at times impacts upon the recreational value of the beaches in that area. Sewer overflow points occur at Wolli, Cup & Saucer, Freshwater and Muddy Creeks in the Cooks River catchment.

The Hacking River flows much of its length throughout the Royal National Park and is considered to be the most unpolluted of Sydney’s major river catchments . The maintenance of high water quality is therefore a primary objective for the Hacking River (Knowles, 1996).

High levels of nutrients and other contaminants (Table 1) contribute to the poor water quality in many areas of the catchments. Water quality is poor in the upper estuarine sections of the Georges River especially Cabramatta, Orphan School, Salt Pan and Prospect Creeks (DUAP, 1997).

Table 1: Levels of contaminants recorded in the waterways of the Southern Sydney Catchments

 
 

Nutrients/Algae/Phosphorus	above desirable levels
Toxic chemicals:  Chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, PCBs, Lead, Copper, Chromium, Mercury, Zinc	High Levels  Mercury Levels - high and water and sediments are badly contaminated by oil and greases.
Faecal coliforms	Higher than recommended

 

The Cooks River is the most polluted river in the Sydney, with litter and urban runoff contributing to over 90% of the pollution problems in the catchment (Cooks River Annual Report, 1996). Approximately 1300 m³ of litter collects in the Cooks River each year from urban streets and stormwater drains. It is the only river in Sydney that has a ban on swimming and fishing. This is a major community issue in regards to health.

The main factors affecting the coastal water along the Sydney Eastern Beaches are: impacts from shipping (discharging ballast water and fuel and anti fouling paints), impacts of past and existing industry, development within the catchment and impacts from sewer overflows and polluted stormwater runoff (Randwick SoE 1997). The Sydney Eastern Beaches area has two cliff face discharge points for small volumes of untreated sewage at Vaucluse and Diamond Bay (Waverley Council SoE, 96/97)

1. Water Quantity
1. High Priority

none identified

 

2. Medium Priority
1. inappropriate flood management and floodplain development
2. changes in flow regime
3. depletion of groundwater
 
3. Low Priority
none identified
2. Poor Water Quality - Loss of Recreational Areas, Loss of Fishery Habitats
1. High Priority
1. sewerage - overflows, surcharges
2. inappropriate effluent disposal (including boating)
3. stormwater - inappropriate management practices and non transparent ownership (who owns stormwater areas ?)
4. poor urban run-off control
5. litter
6. sedimentation
7. non-sustainable or inappropriate removal of flora and fauna
8. stream and estuary foreshore erosion
9. poor riparian zone management
10. lack of community awareness, understanding & involvement
2. Medium Priority
1. industrial discharge (source and non-source, licensed and illegal)
2. leachate causing contamination
3. illegal dumping
4. contamination: from disturbance of sediments; from point/non-point sources
5. excessive levels of organic matter - eutrophication, etc
6. detrimental changes to stream flow regimes
7. aquatic weeds
8. introduction of marine and aquatic pest species
9. loss of native aquatic biota
10. dredging/extractive industries - poor management practices, inappropriate sites
11. poor flood management practices
12. foreshore erosion
13. inappropriate recreational and commercial aquatic use
 
3. Low Priority
1. accidental spillage
2. chemical residues in food chain
3. loss of floodplain
4. acid sulphate soils
3. Loss of Sustainable Levels of Good Quality Groundwater
1. High Priority

none identified

 

2. Medium Priority
1. lowering of groundwater from poor land management practices
2. contamination from poor quality surface water and leachate
 

 

3. Low Priority
1. depletion of aquifers
4. Depletion of Water Resources
1. High Priority
1. inappropriate waste disposal methods
2. poor water reuse (stormwater, effluent)
3. lack of community awareness and understanding
 
2. Medium Priority
1. lack of sustainable water use / overuse
 
3. Low Priority

Wildlife habitats and native species of plants and animals are also threatened by exotic weeds, domestic pets (dogs and cats) and feral animals (rabbits). Endangered species within the Georges River catchment include Platypus, Sugar Glider and Lesser Spotted Bandicoot - Woronora River and O’Hares Creeks (Georges River Catchment Management Committee 1994 & Revised 1997, Strategic Plan). In the Cooks River Alexandra Canal only a few species remain (e.g galaxies, gobies and mullet) and these are rarely seen (Cooks River Catchment Management Strategy, 1993). Other pressures affecting maintenance of wildlife habitat and species diversity include poor landuse practices, loss of vegetation links due to increased development pressures, impact of pollutants on land and water quality, and landfill activities.

In the urban environment, roads and stormwater drains inhibit the movement of fauna and promote the discontinuity of bushland (State of the Environment Report 1996, Sutherland Shire Council).

Improved management practices and more information on the current state of ecosystems and species are needed to develop and implement appropriate management plans to conserve and maintain our biodiversity.

1. Change and Loss in Ecosystem and Species Diversity
1. High Priority
1. competition from weeds
2. loss of habitat
3. loss of native ecosystem
4. lack of biodiversity knowledge (all stakeholders)
5. loss of vegetation links and corridors
6. impact of pollutants
7. inappropriate resource management practices
8. lack of community awareness, understanding and involvement
9. lack of knowledge of threatening processes
2. Medium Priority
1. competition from domestic and feral animals
2. lack of recovery and reintroduction programs and implementation
3. lack of integrated resource management
4. loss of genetic integrity
 
3. Low Priority
1. change in environmental conditions (greenhouse gases)
2. chemical residues in food chain

The EPA’s "Who Cares About the Environment ?" (1997) document states that the second most important environmental issue concerning the Sydney community is air quality. Specific reference is made to motor vehicle emissions, industrial emissions or waste and greenhouse gases. The important of these issues is confirmed by the 1996 ABS survey (EPA, 1997).

Poor integration of our transport system facilitates increased levels of carbon monoxide from car emissions contributing to an increased risk to the communities health, declining urban vegetation, water pollution, loss of species diversity and property damage.

Other contributing factors to poor air quality include domestic heating, atmospheric emissions from waste disposal and power generation sites (Cooks River Catchment Management Strategy, 1993). On average 1.2 million tonnes of pollutants enter Sydney’s air each year (Sutherland Council SoE 1996).

Sources contributing to the decline in air quality (Sutherland Council SoE 1996):

• point sources (chimney stacks)
• mobile sources (motor vehicles - 75% contribution)
• area sources (airport).

1. Poor Air Quality - Greenhouse Gases, Odour, Other Pollutants
1. High Priority
1. inappropriate waste disposal and generation
2. declining urban vegetation
3. lack of integrated transport systems
4. lack of community education, understanding and involvement
 
2. Medium Priority
1. lack of knowledge and information of air issues
2. inappropriate land use
3. inappropriate landuse planning and practices
4. non-sustainable energy production
 
3. Low Priority

Tidal action along the coastal zone may cause erosion and damage to both property and marine biota (Randwick Council SoE, 1997).

Increased development approvals and construction activities are a major concern in the urban environment (Randwick City Council SoE, 1997).

1. High Priority
1. inappropriate performance measures
2. non sustainable water use
3. overdevelopment of sensitive areas eg foreshores, dunes
4. lack of community education, understanding and involvement
2. Medium Priority
1. lack of adequate monitoring and assessment of environmental health including before and after implementation of actions
2. lack of sound knowledge and information base for landuse planning decisions (including those based on modelling)
3. insufficient impact assessment processes and rigour
4. non sustainable energy use
5. unsophisticated consultation practices and non-transparency in decision making
 
3. Low Priority

Integrated Natural Resource Management is often hindered in urban areas through inconsistent control mechanisms including:

• lacks of uniformity in the way controls and priorities are built into building and development approvals

• lack of consistency in management practices, for example, foreshore management in the Cooks River Catchment (Cooks River Foreshores Plan, 1997) and sediment and erosion controls in the Georges River (Georges River CMC Strategic Plan, 1997)

Complex accountability occurs in an urbanised catchment, eg a single stormwater system consisting of gutters, street drains and a creek may be under jurisdiction of a number of different land owners and authorities. The issue of responsibility for tackling a catchment based issue like stormwater management and litter control is often ill-defined (GRCMC Strategic Plan, 1997).

The Southern Sydney catchments are administered by 17 local councils which makes the co-ordination and decision making process complex, and this is compounded by other man-made boundaries in the catchment include State Agency regions.

To provide integrated natural resource management also requires a greater involvement of the community in addressing natural resource management issues. Issues to be addressed include:

• coordination between many agencies and the community before undertaking tasks within the catchment

• lack of true representation of a cross-section of the community (GRCMC Strategic Plan, 1997).

• lack of time available to the community to fully participate in decision making

• difficulty for the community to understand multiple and technical issues.

1. High Priority
1. lack of commitment to enforce environmental and planning laws (authorities)
2. lack of coordination of integrated standard procedures/practices
2. Medium Priority
1. lack of awareness of, and commitment to integrated natural resource management, by all stakeholders (Community, Local Government, Agencies)
2. lack of knowledge of environmental and planning laws
3. lack of understanding of environmental and planning laws, and appropriate natural resource management practices
4. lack of commitment to comply with environmental and planning laws (community)
5. lack of commitment to integrated natural resource management
6. lack of community education, understanding and involvement
 
3. Low Priority

2. REFERENCES

 
 

Cooks River Catchment Management Committee: Cooks River 1996 Annual Report to the Community

Cooks River Catchment Management Committee: Cooks River Catchment Pollution Source Inventory August 1997.

Cooks River Catchment Management Strategy (June 1993)

Cooks River Foreshores Plan (draft for exhibition) (March 1997), Volume 2: Strategies and Implementation

Department of Urban Affairs and Planning (December 1997) Georges River Catchment, Regional Environmental Study Stage 1 - River Health

EPA Study of Ethnic Communities, Nov. 1997

EPA, Who Cares About the Environment ?, 1997, NSW

Georges River Catchment Management Committee (1994 & Revised 1997), Strategic Plan

Hacking River Catchment Management Committee, Management Strategy

Hacking River Catchment Management Committee, Total Catchment Management Annual Report (1994-1995)

Mary Knowles, Hacking River Catchment Management Committee, A Pollution Inventory Source (July 1996)

National Parks & Wildlife Services (1997), A Profile of Western Sydney: Urban Bushland Biodiversity Survey.

Regional Environmental Strategies: Australian Local Government Association, March 1997, 19pp

Southern Sydney ROC Review, Summer 1997/98

State of the Environment Report (1996), Sutherland Shire Council

State of the Environment Report: Botany Bay Council 1997

State of the Environment Report: Randwick City Council 1996

State of the Environment Report: Randwick City Council 1997

State of the Environment Report: Waverley Council, 1996-19970000000

Sutherland Council , 1997 Shaping the Shire: Community priorities for the next decade - Background Paper.

 

3. MATRIX

IMPORTANT: NHT PROJECT APPLICATIONS SHOULD ALWAYS BE DEVELOPED IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR LOCAL CMC CO-ORDINATOR.

 

THE MATRIX APPEARS OVER THE PAGE.

1. Purpose of the Matrix

• Aid project applicants focus their projects towards Commonwealth outcomes from NHT and regional priorities for NHT Those projects that fulfil the Commonwealth and Catchment priorities are more likely to receive funding.
• Help co-ordinate implementation of the NHT partnership on a Catchment (regional) basis.

1. How to Use the Matrix

• The Horizontal Axis lists the Commonwealth outcomes for the NHT.
• The Vertical Axis, lists the Priority Issues for the Southern Sydney Catchment. These priority issues were derived from the Southern Sydney Regional Strategic Plan Framework (detailed earlier in this document).
• Assess how many and which priorities your project addresses along both axes. As the applicant you fill in your priorities for your specific project with a cross (X) in the boxes.

To determine how your proposed project activities fit within the matrix, read the Commonwealth outcomes priorities (Horizontal Axis) and key result areas for the Southern Sydney Region (Vertical Axis) and then identify and list the ‘threatening processes’ your project activities may address.

FOR EXAMPLE: Identify the threatening process (listed under 2.0 of this document) and mark the appropriate boxes according to the relevant numbering system.

KEY: a) = HIGH PRIORITY b) = MEDIUM PRIORITY c) = LOW PRIORITY
 

		Establishing, conserving or managing native vegetation	Sustainable agriculture & landcare	Control of weeds & introduced pest animals	Farm forestry & commercial aspects of the sustainable management of native forests
1. LAND	1.1 Depletion of land resources	a) i)
	1.2 Land degradation	a) vi)
	1.3 Coastal: dunes, foreshore, beach structure issues
	1.4 Loss of cultural and natural heritage	a) i)
2. Vegetation	2.1 Declining quality and quantity of urban bushland, remnant and other vegetation	b) iii)		a) i)

 

1. Southern Sydney Matrix

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