Whites Creek Wetland, April 2007
Promoting Annandale on the Internet since 1998
"World Wetlands Day is celebrated internationally each year on 2 February. It marks the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar Convention) in Ramsar, Iran, on 2 February 1971...."read more
The Federal Park and Whites Creek Wetlands were constructed in 2001/2, to filter storm water before it enters Sydney Harbour. The Wetlands now provide a habitat for native birds, dragonflies and Frogs. The improvement in water quality of Sydney Harbour is reflected in an increase in the number of oysters on the rocks of Rozelle Bay.
But more needs to be done to protect the quality of our waterways. A sewage overflow in January 2009 killed fish in the Whites Creek wetlands. The sewerage system is designed to overflow into the Storm Water channels and the wetlands do recover from these incidents. However, there are significant health and environmental implications.
While both the Federal Park and Whites Creek wetlands are thriving, there are ways in which they could be modified to better cope with sewage overflows.
Constant monitoring the quality of water at various points is necessary to detect toxic contaminants, effectiveness of the wetlands and to determine the whether the fish and oysters in Sydney harbor are safe to eat. We need a regime of continuous public disclosure about water quality and incidents through websites.