Welcome to the Botany Bay & Catchment Water Quality Improvement Program
Welcome to the Botany Bay Water Quality Improvement Program (BBWQIP) website.
Below is a brief overview of what this program involves. As the BBWQIP progresses there will be more information and reports put onto this site, so come back regularly to find out what's being done!
Press Releases & eNewsletters
To view all press/media releases please click here
To view the latest eNewsletter please click here
Who is funding and managing it?
The Botany Bay Water Quality Improvement Program is currently being funded by the Australian Government through Caring for Our Country funding. It is being delivered and managed by the Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority (SMCMA).
Prior to the current funding the Botany Bay Water Quality Improvement Program (stage two 2009 - 2011) and the Botany Bay Coastal Catchments Initiative (BBCCI) 2007 - 2008, were completed. These program were majority funded by the Australian Government and project managed
and part funded by the Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority (SMCMA).
What are the objectives or goals of the BBWQIP?
This program is
seeking
to
achieve
long-term
protection
of
the
surface
waters
of
Botany
Bay,
its
estuaries
and
its
catchment. -
It
will
primarily
be
focused
on
the
pollutants
washing
off
the
hard
surfaces
in
the
catchment
(suspended
solids,
nitrogen
and
phosphorus).
-
It
will
also
engage
with
councils,
key
stakeholders and the community
in
the
Botany
Bay
Catchment
so
they
can
participate
in
finding
and
implementing
innovative
solutions
to
improve
water
quality
in
the
Bay
and
catchment.
The major activities being undertaken through the BBWQIP during 2009 - 2011 are:
- The development of a Botany Bay and Catchment Water Quality Improvement Plan.
- The deployment of a real-time water quality monitoring network for Botany Bay and its estuaries.
- The development of a Water Quality Decision Support System that can be used at the catchment and sub-catchment scales.
- Partnering with land managers to install water quality improvement devices to treat at least 50 hectares of urbanised land.
What did the BBCCI Involve?
As mentioned earlier the BBCCI was the precursor to the current programs. The major activities that were undertaken in the BBCCI are listed below in the approximate order they occurred in during 2007 - 2008:
-
Prepare
a
Scoping
Study.
-
Map
the
Botany
Bay
Catchment
and
sub-catchments.
-
Prepare
a
Consultation
Strategy.
-
Set
draft
levels
of
protection
for
the
environmental
values
of
Botany
Bay
and
its
catchments
waterways.
-
Model
the
current
contributions
of
nutrients
and
sediments
pollution
in
the
catchment,
-
Conduct
an
ecological
characterisation
of
the
Towra
Point
Ramsar
site.
-
Develop
a
hydrodynamic
model
for
Botany
Bay
and
catchment
watercourses.
-
Establish
an
ecological
response
model
of
Botany
Bay
and
its
estuaries,
which
will
be
used
to
determine
how
much
of
several
key
pollutants
that
Botany
Bay
and
its
major
tributaries
can
receive
each
year
before
irreversible
ecological
damage
occurs.
-
Identify
opportunities
and
barriers
to
the
adoption
of
water
sensitive
urban
design
in
the
catchment.
-
Develop
draft
water
quality
objectives
and
load
targets
needed
to
protect
the
draft
environmental
objectives.
-
Develop
management
options
to
meet
the
water
quality
objectives
and
load
targets
and
assess
the
cost
and
effectiveness
various
options
and
select
most
appropriate
options
to
achieve
targets.
-
Develop
a
water
sensitive
urban
design
(WSUD)
adoption
strategy
and
support
councils
and
other
government
agencies
including
WSUD
in
their
planning
processes.
- Review the statutory and institutional arrangements relating to protecting water quality in Botany Bay, its estuaries and catchments.
These activities are completed and the results, findings and/or reports are available on publications page of this website.
When did it start and when will it be finished?
The first phase of the BBCCI commenced at the beginning of 2007 and was completed in late 2008.
The second stage (Botany Bay Water Quality Improvement Program) commenced in July 2009 and will be completed by July 2011
The third stage of the (Botany Water Water Quality Improvement Program) continued from July 2011 and is ongoing. It is focused on implementing the recommendations set out in the Botany Bay & Catchment Water Quality Improvement Plan.
Where else has this sort of thing been done?
There are many other water quality improvement projects being undertaken around Australia. They include:
Moreton Bay (Qld),
Great Barrier Reef (Qld)
Port Phillip and Western Port Bays (Vic),
Derwent Estuary (Tas),
Adelaide's Coastal Waters (SA),
Swan and Canning Estuaries (WA),
Darwin Harbour (NT), and
Myall and Wallis Lakes (NSW).
Contact Details
John Dahlenburg
Botany Bay Water Quality Improvement Program
Sydney Metropolitan CMA
P: (02) 9895 6244
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