Clean Up Australia Day came a week early to Carey Bay Wetlands when Hunter Water came to the rescue to address an environmental incident that had been putting sewage into the Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest, an Endangered Ecological Community.
The local landcare team became aware the wetland was ‘a bit on the nose’ and reported the finding to Hunter Water just before morning tea. By lunchtime the advanced troop was out undertaking an inspection, treading where few have dared to tread and discovering what appeared to be solid ground was really an island of not much substance. Carefully maneuvering over a fallen log bridge to the inspection hole, the blockage in the sewer main was identified, the emergency call put out and an explanation of the process provided to the landcare crew.
Within an hour the mains un-blockers were there, the bog-logjam was released and the sewer system was once again flowing. Fortunately the lay of the land meant that spill was contained within the wetland system and not flowing directly into Puntei Creek and thence the Lake.
…then came the clean up.
Over the next few days the offending substances were sucked from the wetland and fresh water flushed through the ecosystem. The landcare crew were informed that water samples would be taken before and after the clean up treatment.
A week later and back landcaring at the wetland and the birds had a song in their voice, the landcarers had a song in their heart and no pong in their noses and the Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest showed very little sign of damage from all the activity.
Sincere thanks to Hunter Water for the expeditious Clean Up of one of our local treasurers.
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| Looking gloriously green from the excess nutrients |
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| Looking like a Swamp Oak Floodplain forest should, Sea Rush-Juncus kraussii in the foreground, with the surrounding canopy of Swamp Oak- Casuarina glauca |
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