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We love our rivers

In the City of Canterbury Bankstown – We Love Our Rivers!

We’re a City of three rivers – the Cooks, the Georges and the Duck River.
 
Our rivers are all different but each play an important role in the ecosystem we live in. 
 
The Cooks River is one of Australia’s most utilised waterways and is very important to the industry of New South Wales, with examples of this still seen in Canterbury Sugarworks and historic dams at Tempe and Canterbury. However, the Cooks natural environment is always improving! You can find events exploring and helping clean the river below.
 
The Georges River is one of Sydney’s most biodiverse, from its fresh headwaters in the Dharawal Nature Reserve down to its lower, tidal sections flowing past Canterbury-Bankstown. The river is around 100km long and is home to 1.4 million people, 454 fauna species and 29 endangered plant communities throughout its total catchment.
 
The Duck River accounts for the smallest area in Canterbury-Bankstown, including only a portion of the upper river from Sefton to Yagoona that was channelised in concrete in the middle of last century. The river does benefit from a naturalised wetland which we have built at Maluga Passive Park, and Sydney Water plans to naturalise more of the concrete channelling in the coming years.
 
From March to May each year is when We Love Our Rivers by hosting and promoting events in and around our rivers. Check out the range of events below!
How We Love Our Rivers

From litter booms to underground trash racks and manmade wetlands, we have more than 75 gross pollutant traps and 90 biofilters (natural filtration through planted areas) removing approximately 300 tonnes of waste and excess nutrients from our waterways each year.

We have helped develop a 2021 Cooks River Litter Prevention Strategy, aiming to reduce litter entering the Cooks River by 50% by 2025. We are also developing a Clean City Strategic Plan and work with industry and community on many litter prevention programs, including Get The Site Right and We Like Our Parks Litter Free. Read more about these programs here.

On top of this, our dedicated street sweeping team clean up leaves, litter, dirt and other debris from our kerb and gutters removing almost 1,700 tonnes over 12 months in 2020-21. We also have partnerships with Corrective Services NSW where people fulfil their community service hours by collecting rubbish from our riverside parks. We're continuing to work closely with other river-surrounded Councils on whole-of-river litter strategies as an active member of the Cooks River Alliance, Georges Riverkeeper and the Parramatta River Catchment Group.

Croydon Park litter boom on the Cooks River

How can you Love Our Rivers?

Whether it's picking up after your dog, washing your car on grass, gardening or putting your rubbish in the bin, there's something we can all do to help reduce pollution in our local waterways and make them clean and safe for everyone to enjoy.

Dispose of your litter correctly and swap single-use plastics for reusable products. Place wet wipes, nappies, tissues, ear buds and other hygiene products in a bin and never flush them down the toilet.

Pick up pet waste to stop bacteria and other bugs from entering our waterways.

Where possible, wash your car, barbeque, outdoor furniture and gardening equipment on the grass so that it soaks up the detergent, dirt and water. Or use a commercial car wash or apartment washing bay that filters the water.

Keep dirt, leaves and other garden waste away from stormwater drains. Sweep or blow leaves and dirt from driveways and curbs back onto garden beds or place into a bin.

Rainwater is the only thing that should go down a stormwater drain. Never pour, hose or wash paint, oil and other chemicals down a stormwater drain.