❓ Mr. McRae inquires about the government's strategy to combat nutrient loads causing algal blooms in the Canning River. The Minister details the Liege Street Demonstration Wetland project and increased funding for the Swan River Trust.
AnsweredQoN 273Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
In my role as the chairperson of the Canning River Regional Park advisory committee, we have had cause to discuss the level of nutrients entering the Canning River. Can the minister tell us how the Government is now embarking on the fight against those nutrient loads that cause the algal blooms and how this will reduce the current levels of algal blooms and improve the future of the Swan and Canning catchments? Dr J.M. EDWARDS
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for that question. Recently, I was delighted to visit the Liege Street Demonstration Wetland program, which is one the projects to which the member referred. This project picks up two main drains that currently take a lot of nutrients into the Canning River and contribute to the problems we have with the Canning River in summer. It converts both those drains into wetlands but it does so in a spectacular way. We have not only a new wetland artificially engineered at the site of the intersection of the two drains, but also a gross pollutant trap that picks up all the pollution coming from the Carousel Shopping Centre. The nutrient stripping programs built into the project then stop the nutrients from flowing into the Canning River. This is very important for the Kent Street weir. Virtually every summer there are algal bloom problems there. This will help with the health of the Kent Street weir. This project flows directly from the $1.2 million that we gave to the Swan River Trust last year - new money to do engineering works and to do work on the ground that gives these sorts of results. With regard to this project, I pay particular tribute to the City of Canning. The City of Canning is the joint venture partner in this project. It is doing a lot of its work at cost and therefore the money we put on the table can go a lot further because the city is not charging us what might be otherwise charged. I am delighted that last week’s budget allocated $15 million extra to the Swan River Trust over the next four years so we can have many more nutrient intervention programs like this, which will improve the health of not only the Canning River but also the Swan River.
Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for that question. Recently, I was delighted to visit the Liege Street Demonstration Wetland program, which is one the projects to which the member referred. This project picks up two main drains that currently take a lot of nutrients into the Canning River and contribute to the problems we have with the Canning River in summer. It converts both those drains into wetlands but it does so in a spectacular way. We have not only a new wetland artificially engineered at the site of the intersection of the two drains, but also a gross pollutant trap that picks up all the pollution coming from the Carousel Shopping Centre. The nutrient stripping programs built into the project then stop the nutrients from flowing into the Canning River. This is very important for the Kent Street weir. Virtually every summer there are algal bloom problems there. This will help with the health of the Kent Street weir. This project flows directly from the $1.2 million that we gave to the Swan River Trust last year - new money to do engineering works and to do work on the ground that gives these sorts of results. With regard to this project, I pay particular tribute to the City of Canning. The City of Canning is the joint venture partner in this project. It is doing a lot of its work at cost and therefore the money we put on the table can go a lot further because the city is not charging us what might be otherwise charged. I am delighted that last week’s budget allocated $15 million extra to the Swan River Trust over the next four years so we can have many more nutrient intervention programs like this, which will improve the health of not only the Canning River but also the Swan River.
I thank the member for that question. Recently, I was delighted to visit the Liege Street Demonstration Wetland program, which is one the projects to which the member referred. This project picks up two main drains that currently take a lot of nutrients into the Canning River and contribute to the problems we have with the Canning River in summer. It converts both those drains into wetlands but it does so in a spectacular way. We have not only a new wetland artificially engineered at the site of the intersection of the two drains, but also a gross pollutant trap that picks up all the pollution coming from the Carousel Shopping Centre. The nutrient stripping programs built into the project then stop the nutrients from flowing into the Canning River. This is very important for the Kent Street weir. Virtually every summer there are algal bloom problems there. This will help with the health of the Kent Street weir. This project flows directly from the $1.2 million that we gave to the Swan River Trust last year - new money to do engineering works and to do work on the ground that gives these sorts of results. With regard to this project, I pay particular tribute to the City of Canning. The City of Canning is the joint venture partner in this project. It is doing a lot of its work at cost and therefore the money we put on the table can go a lot further because the city is not charging us what might be otherwise charged. I am delighted that last week’s budget allocated $15 million extra to the Swan River Trust over the next four years so we can have many more nutrient intervention programs like this, which will improve the health of not only the Canning River but also the Swan River.
This project flows directly from the $1.2 million that we gave to the Swan River Trust last year - new money to do engineering works and to do work on the ground that gives these sorts of results. With regard to this project, I pay particular tribute to the City of Canning. The City of Canning is the joint venture partner in this project. It is doing a lot of its work at cost and therefore the money we put on the table can go a lot further because the city is not charging us what might be otherwise charged. I am delighted that last week’s budget allocated $15 million extra to the Swan River Trust over the next four years so we can have many more nutrient intervention programs like this, which will improve the health of not only the Canning River but also the Swan River.
Dr J.M. EDWARDS replied: I thank the member for that question. Recently, I was delighted to visit the Liege Street Demonstration Wetland program, which is one the projects to which the member referred. This project picks up two main drains that currently take a lot of nutrients into the Canning River and contribute to the problems we have with the Canning River in summer. It converts both those drains into wetlands but it does so in a spectacular way. We have not only a new wetland artificially engineered at the site of the intersection of the two drains, but also a gross pollutant trap that picks up all the pollution coming from the Carousel Shopping Centre. The nutrient stripping programs built into the project then stop the nutrients from flowing into the Canning River. This is very important for the Kent Street weir. Virtually every summer there are algal bloom problems there. This will help with the health of the Kent Street weir. This project flows directly from the $1.2 million that we gave to the Swan River Trust last year - new money to do engineering works and to do work on the ground that gives these sorts of results. With regard to this project, I pay particular tribute to the City of Canning. The City of Canning is the joint venture partner in this project. It is doing a lot of its work at cost and therefore the money we put on the table can go a lot further because the city is not charging us what might be otherwise charged. I am delighted that last week’s budget allocated $15 million extra to the Swan River Trust over the next four years so we can have many more nutrient intervention programs like this, which will improve the health of not only the Canning River but also the Swan River.
I thank the member for that question. Recently, I was delighted to visit the Liege Street Demonstration Wetland program, which is one the projects to which the member referred. This project picks up two main drains that currently take a lot of nutrients into the Canning River and contribute to the problems we have with the Canning River in summer. It converts both those drains into wetlands but it does so in a spectacular way. We have not only a new wetland artificially engineered at the site of the intersection of the two drains, but also a gross pollutant trap that picks up all the pollution coming from the Carousel Shopping Centre. The nutrient stripping programs built into the project then stop the nutrients from flowing into the Canning River. This is very important for the Kent Street weir. Virtually every summer there are algal bloom problems there. This will help with the health of the Kent Street weir. This project flows directly from the $1.2 million that we gave to the Swan River Trust last year - new money to do engineering works and to do work on the ground that gives these sorts of results. With regard to this project, I pay particular tribute to the City of Canning. The City of Canning is the joint venture partner in this project. It is doing a lot of its work at cost and therefore the money we put on the table can go a lot further because the city is not charging us what might be otherwise charged. I am delighted that last week’s budget allocated $15 million extra to the Swan River Trust over the next four years so we can have many more nutrient intervention programs like this, which will improve the health of not only the Canning River but also the Swan River.
This project flows directly from the $1.2 million that we gave to the Swan River Trust last year - new money to do engineering works and to do work on the ground that gives these sorts of results. With regard to this project, I pay particular tribute to the City of Canning. The City of Canning is the joint venture partner in this project. It is doing a lot of its work at cost and therefore the money we put on the table can go a lot further because the city is not charging us what might be otherwise charged. I am delighted that last week’s budget allocated $15 million extra to the Swan River Trust over the next four years so we can have many more nutrient intervention programs like this, which will improve the health of not only the Canning River but also the Swan River.
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