ACT invests in healthy waterways

The ACT Government is boosting investment to protect, conserve and restore Canberra’s natural environment and waterways with an additional $13 million allocated over four years as part of the 2023-24 ACT Budget.

The ACT Government is boosting investment to protect, conserve and restore Canberra’s natural environment and waterways with an additional $13 million allocated over four years as part of the 2023-24 ACT Budget.

Improving the quality of the ACT’s stormwater, lakes, and ponds remains a focus for the Government. This Budget provides a further $8.2 million to the Healthy Waterways project. It brings the total funding provided in this term of Government to $ 35.5 million. The new funding will provide a range of projects to improve water quality and catchment health across the region, including:

  • constructing infrastructure to allow recycled stormwater to be used at playing fields in Kambah and Wanniassa
  • construction of a new rain garden in Higgins
  • extending drain naturalisation in Isabella Plains.
  • collaboration projects with traditional custodians on water issues and catchment planning
  • extended community education focused on reducing pollution entering our waterways
  • restoration works in rural catchments

Quotes attributable to ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr:

We are so fortunate in the ACT to live in a city with such a unique and diverse natural environment right on our doorsteps.

This funding boost for environment and water initiatives will ensure we build resilience to climate events and biosecurity threats to plants, animals and our health to protect the lifestyle values we are known for.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Water, Energy and Emissions Reduction, Shane Rattenbury:

Our waterways are such an important part of living in Canberra. We want to do all we can to keep them as healthy as possible.

We have seen improvements in catchment health and water quality. This increased investment in the Healthy Waterways Program will build on previous achievements.

This funding will enable us to build more wetlands to boost biodiversity and create beautiful natural spaces for recreation, continue education programs on caring for our waterways, mitigate erosion problems in rural catchments and conduct research to gather crucial data on pollution sources.

It will also support continued work to collaborate with traditional custodians on water issues and catchment planning and will enable the development of catchment plans to guide future work in our major catchments.

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