Humans need water and not just for drinking—this is one of the many reasons why we build settlements near rivers or creeks.
However, as we grew in population—and with it, demands or needs–we polluted the water. And sometimes, the pollution persists. For instance, in the 19th century, many of Australia’s urban creeks and rivers were in poor shape.
Many of Australia’s urban creeks and rivers were in poor shape. Melbourne’s major river, the Maribyrnong, was full of waste from abattoirs, tanneries and factories. But it’s not all hopeless now: Darebin Creek in Melbourne’s north, was polluted until cleanup efforts began in the 70s. And now, many creatures have returned.
Additionally, Cooks River, which was heavily polluted with its industrial waste and sewage, has started to improve.
Efforts to restore and improve waterways, although challenging, can bring life back to waterways and better the environment. And when that happens, we humans can enjoy the benefits as well. Although, I do think it is unfortunate that we caused this destruction in the first place.
With the river’s currents, it feels like when we dump something, it’s out of sight, out of mind—problem solved. That’s why people thought (and some still think) it’s the most practical way to get rid of domestic and industrial waste.
However, we now see chemicals or sewage floating away. And treating rivers as dumps will damage or even wipe out the life in them.
Seeing improvement in some places
In Victoria, Australia, the rivers have begun to get better when the state government passed the Environment Protection Act in 1970. Since then, community groups, government agencies, and Melbourne Water have started the repair job.
Now, around Darebin Creek, for example, we can see ducks, swans, and moorhens. We can also hear Kookaburras laugh in the trees and insects buzz in the morning light.
In the creek itself there are some frogs, invertebrates and fish. Moreover, people have also spotted endangered species like the growling grass frog and matted flax-lily can. There are even platypus sightings, which means there’s food there for them like insect larvae and yabbies.
Additionally, Darebin Parklands was once used as a farm, then a quarry, then a tip earmarked for a freeway. The creek used to simply be a stormwater drain. Even today, when it’s already transformed, leachate from the old tip seeps out.
Communities have been trying to rejuvenate the rivers and creeks. With the ongoing efforts, many urban waterways in Victoria are now in reasonable health, providing habitat for more than 1,800 species of native plants and 600 species of native animals.
Sadly, this improvement is not even. Rivers such as the Ovens and the Murray, and even the Yarra in places, are in poorer condition with low flows and high sediment and salt levels major issues.
And although Darebin Creek is improving, as recently as 2016, eels and other fish died in Darebin Creek due to insecticide being washed into the water. The wildlife of the creek hasn’t fully recovered as well—plains-wanderer which once roamed the creekline hasn’t returned since 1972.
Fighting other threats meanwhile
Life around creeks and rivers, especially native species, doesn’t only face the threat of the harmful effects of domestic and industrial waste.
What happens when rain runs off hard surfaces like roofs or driveways? It runs into storm drains and creeks, carrying debris, bacteria, soil, oil, grease, pesticides and other pollutants with it. So, stormwater can be a problem. In 2016, an estimated 95% of litter on Victorian beaches was transported there from suburban areas through stormwater drains.
Then, while we sometimes need fertilizer for our little farms in the backyard or our pretty garden, it can spill in the creeks and rivers in urban areas. This can bring too many nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus into waterways.
When there’s too many nutrients, the water will get sudden plant and algae growth. The sudden growth blocks light and reduce oxygen levels, leading to the death of fish and other aquatic animals. Some algae and cyanobacteria (that also grow in these conditions) produce toxins that can make us sick too.
And, the native species must compete with the invasive, too. In Australian waters and many parts of the world, people introduced invasive species years and years ago, like carp and mosquito fish. These prey on or outcompete native species, damage habitat, and carry diseases and parasites.
The challenges, which are just a few here, make it sound too difficult to restore what had been lost. However, since we’ve seen improvement in some areas, to keep making the efforts will be a better choice. Besides, restoring is much harder than preventing.
The possibility of bringing life back
Seeing how hard it is to bring life back to devastated creeks and rivers, we can’t expect life just to bounce back. Making our waterways healthy again takes effort, ranging from making sure rubbish doesn’t escape into them.
Protecting habitat from destruction and filtering pollution out of stormwater drains are crucial but communities can also make a big difference.
And, we should remember that the efforts don’t need to be huge. According to University of Queensland conservation ecologist Michelle Ward, “Spaces for urban conservation don’t have to be large. Even if it’s just one old tree on a riverbank that can be a lifeline for many different species.”
Therefore, initiatives, projects, and efforts to restore waterways are important. Especially, according to Australia’s federal government’s latest State of the Environment report, 46% of Australia’s threatened species inhabit towns and cities, with several solely reliant on urban river ecosystems.
Hopeful stories
Even though restoration efforts seem to be hopeless due to their slowness to evident success, some communities just don’t want to stop. And because of their persistence, creeks and rivers which used to be inhabitable have seen a dramatic change.
For example, Peter Munro, 73, helped found the land care group 20 years ago to improve Sydney’s Cooks River. As mentioned, The Cooks was once a toxic sewer. Its 23 kilometers run brown and murky past residences and industry from its source in the southwest to its artificial mouth at Botany Bay.
“At different points on the river you could once almost walk across the floating litter,” Munro said.
Fortunately, volunteers have ceaselessly worked to restore it to its natural state. As a result, wildlife has returned to its banks—which was once dominated by endangered ironbark forest.
Another success from Munro’s group is the revitalization of wetlands at Cup and Saucer Creek. The wetlands were a barren concrete drain previously. But now they’re houses to native animals, and they filter stormwater of harmful chemicals.
For the future, Mr. Munro hopes one day people will be able to swim in the Cooks River. It’s wishful thinking, and he realizes that. But that’s not going to stop him from trying to bring the river back to its full health.
Sources
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7934360/transforming-australias-urban-rivers/
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