Sydney Water is proud to be named the winner of the Excellence in Asset Management award for its Johnstons Creek Naturalisation project at the 2023 Stormwater Australia National Awards for Excellence.
This project in Sydney’s Inner West involved naturalising and stabilising 610 metres of the Johnstons Creek stormwater channel between Rozelle Bay and The Crescent in Annandale. The revitalisation included planting tens of thousands of local native plants and the installation of sandstone blocks. This refurbishment has extended this vital asset’s life to more than 150 years while injecting ecological and aesthetic value into the Annandale site and surrounding area.
Sydney Water Senior Project Manager Jordan Mulhearn said it’s a great example of Sydney Water’s commitment to improving liveability and waterway health across Sydney.
“This project has transformed this area into a vibrant waterway environment and a beautiful space for the community to enjoy. It was also an excellent opportunity to upgrade this important asset.”
This stormwater channel, which was concrete lined in the 1890s, needed renewal due to deteriorating banks. Given the corrosive saline tidal environment, Sydney Water decided to revitalise the area by removing the old concrete walls. They were replaced with native plants, trees and rocks.
The Johnstons Creek Precinct is an integral recreational open space in the City of Sydney Local Government Area. Johnstons Creek runs through the middle of these highly valued parklands. The area is an essential recreational space, with the community using it for outdoor sports, informal recreation, festivals, and events.
Naturalising Johnstons Creek involved:
- Removing the concrete-lined base and banks and recycling 5,800 tonnes of concrete
- Replacing concrete banks with large sandstone and tens of thousands of local, native plants while stabilising rock banks.
- Planting 2,730 cubic metres of endangered saltmarsh
- Widening the channel in parts, including expanding the salt marsh around the creek and creating ecological intertidal rock pools.
- Building new paths, lookout areas and a boardwalk for the community to enjoy the naturalised waterway environs, along with new seatings and signs.
- Minor reshaping of the banks to reduce bank slope and increase safety.
- Creation of a unique in-stream sandstone invert in the channel base to provide in-stream aquatic habitat for diverse native marine species.
Sydney Water is proud to have partnered with Diona and Thompson Berrill Landscape Design on this award-winning project.
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