Restoration of rivers and small streams in the Sydney basin faces many challenges arising from high natural variablity and the impacts of urbanisation.  The city of Sydney is home to 4.1 million people living in an area of 1800km2.  The SMCMA area covers eight river catchments comprised of Sydney Harbour, Parramatta River, Botany Bay, Cooks River, Georges River, and the Hacking River, and inclusive of the catchments for streams that flow into Manly, Dee Why, Curl Curl and Narrabeen Lagoons as well as the eastern beaches - this represents over 2,800 km of streams.

Alluvial streams in the Sydney basin are sensitive to natural agents of change such as periods of drought, bushfires and catastrophic floods.  In addition, urbanisation impacts have altered hydrologic regimes, degraded riparian ecosystems, changed channel morphology and reduced water quality.

This program has been developed to assess the current condition of all rivers and small streams in the Sydney basin and identify priority reaches for restoration and/or protection.  That is to identify those priority reaches that;

1)    have high or very high recovery potential to an ancestral geomorphic type;
2)    require physical protection to ensure maintenance of the existing type in 
       good geomorphic condition; and
3)    require physical action now to stabilise or reverse a degrading condition

Partners:  State and Local Government

Coordinators: SMCMA

Status: $630,000 of funds have been awarded to five local and state government proponents for river and stream works (details below).  All projects are due for completion by June 2008.

Environmental Outcomes: Riparian Vegetation enhanced and/or protected; conservation and/or maintenance and/or rehabilitation of priority geomorphic styles

Funding Source: NHT

Project Updates:
Five projects have been funded under the 2007-2008 Investment round.  They are diverse in nature and in location.  The projects and proponents are as follows:

-    Lane Cove Weir Fishway Improvement, DPI-Fisheries.  This project has 3 components: 1) Fix the leaks in the weir wall, 2) Lower the height of the culvert at the downstream end of the fishway and 3) Improve the ridge rocks and resting pools in the fishway.

-   Hacking River Weed and Feral Pest Control, NPWS-RNP.  This project will implement a Deer and weed Control Program and undertake soil erosion mitigation works in a defined area of the Hacking catchment in the Royal National Park.

-   Stringybark Creek Bank Stabilisation, Lane Cove Council.  This project will stabilise the streambank immediately downstream of a prefabricated stormwater outlet at the head of Stringybark Creek.  Lateral bank movement is threatening riparian vegetation and housing

-   Forbes Creek Connectivity, Sutherland Shire Council.  This project will undertake bank stabilisation and bush regeneration along 500m of Forbes Creek.  Targeted weed removal will be a major focus of these works.

-    Scotts Creek Rehabilitation, Willoughby City Council.  This project involves improving channel stability through bank armouring, in-bed planting as well as extensive bush regeneration to connect good condition riparian vegetation.