Blue Mountains City Council and Sydney Water are jointly funding a stormwater treatment project within the Knapsack Creek Catchment in Glenbrook.
The system involves the construction of raingardens and a naturalised stormwater channel. Embedded biofilters will remove pollutants from stormwater that flows into the Hawkesbury Nepean River, via Knapsack Creek.
Mayor Cr Mark Greenhill said: "As a Council in World Heritage National Park, we are committed to ensuring our waterways are as healthy as they possibly can be. This project is an important one to deliver healthy waterways as they flow into the catchment, creating habitat and improving biodiversity at Knapsack Creek.
"Raingardens are an effective way to protect our waterways and mitigate stormwater impacts."
"Sydney Water is excited to be collaborating with Blue Mountains City Council on this pilot raingarden project," said Sydney Water Environmental Regulatory Manager Jenny Rogers.
"We are investigating new and innovative ways to mitigate the impacts of nutrients discharged from our wastewater treatment plants into the Hawkesbury Nepean River. Sydney Water is committed to improving waterway health and biodiversity to ensure our waterways are world-class and support thriving, liveable and sustainable cities."
The raingarden at Glenbrook will be constructed using sandstone, sand, gravel and local native plants selected for their growth form and capacity to form dense root structures which assist with management of stormwater. They will be mainly native sedges grasses, herbs, groundcovers and ferns, as most of the raingardens are being built in open space areas not suitable for shrubs and trees. Local tree and shrub species will be planted in the riparian zones as part of the creekline restoration.
During construction, Sydney Water and Council will work together to keep the community updated and minimise the impact of work on residents and businesses. Council will start work from 30 November 2022. Work hours are between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. The work will not affect water or wastewater services.
