WC have entered the 2014 Banksia Sustainably Awards

Unfortunately AWC (with NSW RMS) was unsuccessful in the 2014 Banksia Sustainability Awards. Nevertheless, a great project!

AWC have entered a project in the 2014 Banksia Sustainability in the MMG Sustainable Water Management category.

This project involved floodplain wetland restoration and sustainable water management within the Richmond River catchment of northern NSW.  The lower Richmond Estuary is a highly modified and degraded ecosystem which regularly undergoes rapid water column oxygen loss, subsequently resulting in widespread fish kills.

The project resulted in the rehabilitation of 18ha (the Ballina Bypass Wetlands Compensatory Wetland Area); turning a degraded grazing paddock to a mosaic of high value wetland communities over a five year period.

The restoration of the wetland area was based on two broad principles: 1) weed control (with potential for small-scale plantings), and 2) reinstatement of a natural wetland hydraulic regime.  The aim of the rehabilitation project was to: 1) improve water quality within the wetland and any drains discharging from the site; 2) limit acid water discharge from drainage systems; 3) ensure no negative hydrological impacts occurred on adjacent land; and 4) rehabilitate native coastal wetland vegetation communities.

The restoration of the Ballina Bypass Wetlands Compensatory Wetland Area combined a large suite of skills and professions to achieve a successful ecological outcome within a degraded landscape with significant environmental constraints. The successful outcomes achieved by the project have contributed to addressing environmental management concerns across the Richmond River floodplain, enhancing wetland communities and improving water quality.