Stormwater Pollution Investigations Project

Urban stormwater has been identified as one of the top five risks to water quality

Lithgow Council has partnered with Water NSW to undertake an urban Stormwater Pollution Investigation project. The aim of the project is to find and reduce the risk to water quality in the drinking water catchment from four priority pollutants; phosphorus, nitrogen, pathogens and sediments.

The project will use a combination of different field and analytical methods to identify specific areas where pollution could be originating from. With this information Council will undertake appropriate actions such as; education, incentives and compliance to reduce point-source contamination throughout the urban landscape.

A recent Habitat Assessment report of Framers Creek commissioned by Council has also highlighted the need for improvements in stormwater quality. The habitat assessment tells a story of degradation as the creek flows from a bushland catchment to an urban one, with all indicators, aquatic and terrestrial, showing an obvious negative response to the urban disturbance. The full report is available on Councils website under Current Environmental Projects.

The main message for moving forward and improving habitat is to address stormwater quality through infrastructure improvements and reducing point source pollution through projects such as this.