The Cooks River Urban Water Initiative is an Australian Government funded project aiming to improve the environmental quality of the Cooks River. A press release accompanying the funding announcement stated that:

"This investment will ensure the Government contributes to the outstanding work being done by local residents in the remediation of this important river system"

Co-ordinated by the Sydney Metropolitan CMA, the initiative will fund a series of projects in collaboration with Local Councils, Agencies and environmental Community Groups. The Initiative is broken into two project elements:

Wolli Creek Stormwater Element:

Wolli Creek Regional Park is situated along the lower sections of Wolli Creek, which is a major tributary of the Cooks River. This area provides a vital recreational and educational resource for local and regional communities as it contains important flora and fauna habitat, and has cultural and historical significance.  However, Wolli Creek continues to be significantly impacted by stormwater runoff from adjacent urban areas. These problems include the discharge of litter, sediment, weeds, nutrients and other pollutants, and the erosion of small streams due to increased stormwater flows.

This element of the Initiative aims to reduce the impacts of urban stormwater run off on the Wolli Creek corridor by the installation of Stormwater Quality Improvement Devices to reduce litter, weeds, sediment and improve the water quality in the Creek and River. Projects will include the construction of pollutant traps and bio-retention systems to filter stormwater flowing into the Creek.

Wetlands Element:

As urban development occurred in the Cooks River catchment, many former wetland areas were filled and destroyed. This loss of wetlands removed the natural filtering systems that reduce nutrient loads, improve water quality, breakdown pollutants and provide shelter for smaller organisms that are important in the food chain.

To improve the water quality and ecology of the river it is important that as many of these systems as possible are returned or remediated.  Suitable sites have been identified by the Cooks River Catchment Stormwater Management Plan, local councils and local environmental community groups.  This element consists of the design and re-construction of wetland areas in both the freshwater and estuarine reaches.  Existing wetlands will be supplemented with restoration works such as re-vegetation and weeding. Design briefs will be constructed in consultation with local land managers.

It is expected that onground works will occur throughout 2009 and into 2010 with further monitoring continuing into the future. Please continue to check this website for updates and news on the projects progression.

The locations of projects currently progressing can be viewed on the Project Map.