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79-523: The course of the 23-kilometre-long (14 mi) urban waterway has been altered to accommodate various developments along its shore. It serves as part of a stormwater system for the 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi) of its watershed, and many of the original streams running into it have been turned into concrete lined channels. The tidal sections support significant areas of mangroves , bird, and fish life, and are used for recreational activities. The river begins at Graf Park, Yagoona , then flows in

158-418: A forebay is often utilized as a deposition area to clarify the water and concentrate the material. Mining, heavy construction and other industries have used passive systems for more than twenty years. These types of systems are low carbon as no external power source is needed, they require little skill to operate, minimal maintenance and are effective at reducing Total Suspended Solids , some heavy metals and

237-409: A preferential voting system . On 9 September 2017 the first council was elected. The mayor is appointed biennially and deputy mayor annually by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 14 September 2024, and the makeup of the council, by order of election, is as follows: Owing to a perceived confusion over the ward names, particularly from members of

316-410: A catchment area of 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi), within the metropolitan areas of Sydney enclosed by urban environments and extensive recreational areas. Over 400,000 people live in this area and there are over 100,000 commercial and industrial premises. The river has typical water catchment management problems characteristic of heavily urbanised areas, including: The Cooks River Alliance

395-757: A local educational program is that of the West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC), which has coined the term Hydrofilth to describe stormwater pollution, as part of its "15 to the River" campaign. (During a rain storm, it may take only 15 minutes for contaminated runoff in Grand Rapids, Michigan to reach the Grand River .) Its outreach activities include a rain barrel distribution program and materials for homeowners on installing rain gardens . Other public education campaigns highlight

474-530: A population of approximately 153,000. There was significant community opposition to the merger from within both communities. In Botany Bay, residents were given the chance to have their say in a community poll which was held on 27 February 2016. Ultimately 97.8 per cent of Botany Bay residents voted 'no' when asked the question 'Do you agree that the City of Botany Bay should merge with Rockdale City Council?'. Rockdale City Council indicated their preference to merge with

553-465: A recent municipal stormwater treatment study, an advanced sedimentation technology was used passively in large diameter stormwater mains upstream of SWMF's to remove an average of 90% of TSS and phosphorus during a near 50 year rain event turning a management facility into a passive treatment facility. Chemical treatment of stormwater to remove pollutants can be accomplished without large scale infrastructure improvements. Passive treatment technologies use

632-410: A roughly north-easterly direction to Chullora . It reaches its northernmost point at Strathfield , where it leads into a concrete open canal, no more than one metre wide and thirty centimetres deep. It then heads towards the south-east. Where Cooks River runs through Strathfield Golf Course, the concrete lining has been partly removed. Here the plants have returned and have created an environment where

711-492: Is irrigation , water runs off and ultimately makes its way to a river , lake , or the ocean . While there is some attenuation of these pollutants before entering receiving waters, polluted runoff results in large enough quantities of pollutants to impair receiving waters. In addition to the pollutants carried in stormwater runoff , urban runoff is being recognized as a cause of pollution in its own right. In natural catchments ( watersheds ) surface runoff entering waterways

790-587: Is a local government area in Sydney , New South Wales , Australia . It is located around part of Botany Bay , 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) south of the Sydney CBD . It includes suburbs of Southern Sydney as well as a portion in the Eastern Suburbs . It comprises an area of 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) and as at the 2016 census had a population of 156,058. The council

869-657: Is a partnership between councils in the Cooks River Catchment. It works with the local communities to restore the health of the river. The Alliance Board is made up of one councillor from each member council. The members of the Cooks River Alliance are: Bayside , Canterbury-Bankstown , City of Sydney , Inner West and Strathfield . The Alliance combines and builds resources, experience, knowledge and skills within councils and communities, to work on complex environmental challenges. Community Representatives will have

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948-402: Is a relatively rare event, occurring only a few times each year and generally after larger storms. Before development occurred, most rainfall soaked into the ground and contributed to groundwater recharge or was recycled into the atmosphere by vegetation through evapotranspiration . Modern drainage systems, which collect runoff from impervious surfaces (e.g., roofs and roads), ensure that water

1027-724: Is an expensive long-term investment that is difficult to replace when the underlying circumstances change. As a result, the system will perform worse or malfunction more frequently over time. This is precisely what is occurring in the region surrounding Europe and the Baltic Sea, where the quickening pace of climate change is stressing the systems, the advancement of urbanization, and stricter regulations. Rethinking stormwater management techniques and investing in infrastructure are essential to adapting to these rapidly changing circumstances. Stormwater runoff has been an issue since humans began living in concentrated villages or urban settings. During

1106-433: Is bad and neither good for tillage or pasturage". Nevertheless, some farmers did find they could till the land and settlement along the river spread, and roads and crossings were made in several places. In the 1830s a dam was built across the river; however, this did not provide a clean water supply and the structure itself began to damage the river's ecology by preventing tidal flushing of deposited urban silt. A second dam

1185-553: Is classified as nonpoint source pollution under the CWA. It is not included in the CWA definition of "point source" and therefore not subject to NPDES permit requirements. The 1987 CWA amendments established a non-regulatory program at EPA for nonpoint source pollution management consisting of research and demonstration projects. Related programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program are conducted by

1264-587: Is due to polluted runoff, generally in urbanized watersheds (in other US watersheds, agricultural pollution is a major source). To address the nationwide problem of stormwater pollution, Congress broadened the CWA definition of "point source" in 1987 to include industrial stormwater discharges and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems ("MS4"). These facilities are required to obtain NPDES permits. In 2017, about 855 large municipal systems (serving populations of 100,000 or more), and 6,695 small systems are regulated by

1343-763: Is efficiently moved to waterways through pipe networks, meaning that even small storms result in increased waterway flows. In addition to delivering higher pollutants from the urban catchment, increased stormwater flow can lead to stream erosion , encourage weed invasion, and alter natural flow regimes. Native species often rely on such flow regimes for spawning, juvenile development, and migration. Stormwater runoff from roadways has been observed to contain many metals including zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), vanadium (V), cobalt (Co), and aluminum (Al) (Sansalone and Buchberger, 1997; Westerlund and Viklander, 2006) and other constituents. In some areas, especially along

1422-422: Is no surface warning that an opening has grown so large it will suddenly collapse catastrophically. Therefore, land use planning for new development needs to avoid karst areas. Ultimately taxpayers end up paying the costs for poor land use decisions. Managing the quantity and quality of stormwater is termed, "Stormwater Management." The term Best Management Practice (BMP) or stormwater control measure (SCM)

1501-409: Is often polluted by materials that are handled or stored on the sites, and the facilities are subject to regulations to control the discharges. Stormwater Management Facilities (SWMF's) are generally designed using Stokes' law to allow rudimentary treatment through the settling particulate matter larger than 40 micron in size and to impound water to reduce downstream flooding. However, regulation on

1580-401: Is often used to refer to both structural or engineered control devices and systems (e.g. retention ponds ) to treat or store polluted stormwater, as well as operational or procedural practices (e.g. street sweeping). Stormwater management includes both technical and institutional aspects. Integrated water management (IWM) of stormwater has the potential to address many of the issues affecting

1659-464: Is one that balances the desired results (controlling runoff and pollution) with the associated costs (loss of usable land for land-based systems versus capital cost of manufactured solution). Green (vegetated) roofs are also another low-cost solution. IWM as a movement can be regarded as being in its infancy and brings together elements of drainage science, ecology and a realization that traditional drainage solutions transfer problems further downstream to

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1738-423: Is the primary cause of basement and sewer backups. Although the number of casualties from urban flooding is usually limited, the economic, social and environmental consequences can be considerable: in addition to direct damage to property and infrastructure ( highways , utilities and services), chronically wet houses are linked to an increase in respiratory problems and other illnesses. Sewer backups are often from

1817-464: Is to incorporate land-based solutions to reduce stormwater runoff through the use of retention ponds, bioswales , infiltration trenches, sustainable pavements (such as permeable paving ), and others noted above. LID can also be achieved by utilizing engineered, manufactured products to achieve similar, or potentially better, results as land-based systems (underground storage tanks, stormwater treatment systems, biofilters , etc.). The proper LID solution

1896-537: The Bronze Age , housing took a more concentrated form, and impervious surfaces emerged as a factor in the design of early human settlements . Some of the early incorporation of stormwater engineering is evidenced in Ancient Greece . A specific example of an early stormwater runoff system design is found in the archaeological recovery at Minoan Phaistos on Crete . Bayside Council Bayside Council

1975-520: The City of Kogarah and the City of Hurstville , forming a single "St George Council". Botany Bay also attempted to seek a compromise by proposing to merge with the City of Randwick and parts of the City of Sydney . With the proclamation of the majority of council amalgamations on 12 May 2016, the City of Botany Bay Council appealed the decision in the Supreme Court of New South Wales , thereby delaying

2054-553: The First Fleet arrived the river and valley was regarded as unsuitable. Captain John Hunter and Lieutenant Bradley both mentioned the shallowness of the water and large swamp areas. The first land grants along the river tended to be fairly large and used mostly for grazing and timber with some fishing and lime burning at Botany Bay. Governor Macquarie makes reference to a slender bridge in his 1810 diary , adding that "the soil

2133-511: The Indigenous Australian population used the river by fishing and gathering shellfish. This had little effect on the river's natural ecology as sustainable practices were adhered to. It is generally thought that four different clans, each speaking a distinct dialect of the Darug language, inhabited the area surrounding the river. The Bediagal clan occupied the area on the southern side of

2212-526: The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture . Education is a key component of stormwater management. A number of agencies and organizations have launched campaigns to teach the public about stormwater pollution, and how they can contribute to solving it. Thousands of local governments in the U.S. have developed education programs as required by their NPDES stormwater permits. One example of

2291-525: The United States , or Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) in Australia , IWM has the potential to improve runoff quality, reduce the risk and impact of flooding and deliver an additional water resource to augment potable supply. The development of the modern city often results in increased demands for water supply due to population growth, while at the same time altered runoff predicted by climate change has

2370-418: The effluent from SWMF's is becoming more stringent. Impact of the nutrient, Phosphorus either dissolved from (fertilizers) or bound to sediment particles from construction or agriculture runoff, causes algae and toxic cyanobacteria (aka Blue-green algae ) blooms in receiving lakes. Cyanotoxin is of particular concern as many drinking water treatment plants can not effectively remove this health hazard. In

2449-577: The "Borough of North Botany" on 29 March 1888. From 28 December 1906, following the passing of the Local Government Act, 1906 , the councils were renamed as the "Municipality of North Botany" and the "Municipality of Botany". The Municipality of North Botany was renamed as the " Municipality of Mascot " on 31 October 1911. Under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 , the Municipality of Mascot

Cooks River - Misplaced Pages Continue

2528-529: The 2016 census, the proportion of residents in the Bayside local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon approached 29 per cent of all residents. In excess of 51 per cent of all residents in Bayside Council nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2016 census, which was below the national average of 57.7 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to

2607-428: The CWA in 1972. Pollutant loadings from these sources are tightly controlled through the issuance of National Pollution Discharge Elimination System ( NPDES ) permits. However, despite these controls, thousands of water bodies in the U.S. remain classified as "impaired," meaning that they contain pollutants at levels higher than is considered safe by EPA for the intended beneficial uses of the water. Much of this impairment

2686-552: The Cook's River, entitled By Tranquil Waters , which was so well received that it was bought by the Trustees of the Art Gallery of New South Wales . By the 1880s tree clearing resulted in erosion , silting and expansion of reed beds , blocking river flow. On the weekend of 25–27 May 1889, 425 millimetres (16.7 in) of rain inundated all the low-lying land. At the height of the flood,

2765-531: The Cooks River at Canterbury. In the past, factories discharged their waste directly into the water. The valley becomes more pronounced as the river reaches Tempe , where it is joined by Wolli Creek and the Alexandra Canal . The Princes Highway crosses the Cooks River and links Tempe to the suburb of Wolli Creek . Also here is the low-lying Fatima Island , which is submerged at high tide. The course of

2844-546: The Cooks River. In 2009, Strathfield Council established the Cooks River Fun Run . This event is held annually around June or July each year. The event starts at Freshwater Park Strathfield, with a 5 km and 10 km run, a 5 km walk and 2 km kids' run. Stormwater Stormwater , also written storm water , is water that originates from precipitation ( storm ), including heavy rain and meltwater from hail and snow . Stormwater can soak into

2923-502: The NSW and Australian averages of 2.9 and 2.8 per cent respectively. The median age of people in Bayside Council was 35 years; slightly lower than the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.4 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 13.5 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 61.6 per cent were married and 7.1 per cent were either divorced or separated. At

3002-510: The State of Maryland requires erosion and sediment controls on construction sites of 5,000 sq ft (460 m ) or more. It is not uncommon for state agencies to revise their requirements and impose them upon counties and cities; daily fines ranging as high as $ 25,000 can be imposed for failure to modify their local stormwater permitting for construction sites, for instance. Agricultural runoff (except for concentrated animal feeding operations, or " CAFO ")

3081-667: The Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Management Authority, the Department of Planning & Environment and Sydney Water . The river also has a number of community-based organisations which assist its maintenance, in particular the Cooks River Valley Association (CRVA). The CRVA grew from The Cooks River Improvement League, founded in 1925, which had published a book entitled "Our Ocean to Ocean Opportunity". The League recommended cleaning up

3160-463: The U.S. coast, polluted runoff from roads and highways may be the largest source of water pollution . For example, about 75 percent of the toxic chemicals getting to Seattle , Washington's Puget Sound are carried by stormwater that runs off paved roads and driveways, rooftops, yards, and other developed land. Industrial stormwater is runoff from precipitation that lands on industrial sites (e.g. manufacturing facilities, mines, airports). This runoff

3239-453: The Wangal people. In 1770, Captain Cook sailed into Botany Bay and made the first written description of the river as follows: "I found a very fine stream of fresh water on the north side in the first sandy cove within the island before which a ship might lay land-locked and wood for fuel may be got everywhere." The existence of the river appeared to make settlement a possibility; however, when

Cooks River - Misplaced Pages Continue

3318-536: The day-to-day operation, moving screened solids throughout the farm. Concreting of the river banks commenced in the 1930s and the Cooks River Improvement Act of 1946 confirmed the policy of the tidying up of an undisciplined stream within neat cement boundaries. Between 1947 and 1953, engineers diverted the original river mouth to the west of Sydney Airport to accommodate new runways. Initiatives from 1976 onwards have attempted to preserve and return

3397-673: The detriment of the environment and water resources. In the United States , the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is charged with regulating stormwater pursuant to the Clean Water Act (CWA). The goal of the CWA is to restore all " Waters of the United States " to their "fishable" and "swimmable" conditions. Point source discharges, which originate mostly from municipal wastewater ( sewage ) and industrial wastewater discharges, have been regulated since enactment of

3476-559: The energy of water flowing by gravity through ditches, canals, culverts, pipes or other constructed conveyances to enable treatment. Self dosing products, such as Gel Flocculants , are placed in the flowing water where sediment particles, colloids and flow energy combine to release the required dosage, thereby creating heavy flocs which can then be easily filtered or settled. Natural woven fibers like jute are often used in ditch bottoms to act as filtration media. Silt retention mats can also be placed in situ to capture floccules. Sedimentation in

3555-404: The expanding Sydney Airport. Cooks River now connects with Botany Bay at Kyeemagh . The corridor of land beside the river is a conduit for many services along large parts of its length including electricity, high-voltage lines, a high-pressure oil pipe owned by Shell , and high-volume sewage pipes. Many of the lower-lying areas have been filled and are parks and sports grounds. In spite of this

3634-471: The final south-flowing section of river is entirely artificial. The river formerly flowed, via marshes, on a meandering course across the present site of Sydney Airport to meet Mill Stream and enter Botany Bay from the northern end of the bay. The boundary between the Parish of Botany and the Parish of St George remains at the former mouth of Cooks River. This part of the river course was altered to accommodate

3713-410: The first Council Chambers, a small purpose-built stone building on the western side of Rocky Point Road, Arncliffe. It continued in use until 11 December 1888, when a new Town Hall was opened on the corner of Rocky Point Road and Bryant Street, Rockdale. By the time the neighbouring Boroughs of Botany and North Botany (Mascot from 1911) were proclaimed on 29 March 1888, it was clear that a name change

3792-410: The ground, and more runoff is generated than in undeveloped conditions. Additionally, passages such as ditches and storm sewers quickly transport runoff away from commercial and residential areas into nearby water bodies. This greatly increases the volume of water in waterways and the discharge of those waterways, leading to erosion and flooding. Because the water is flushed out of the watershed during

3871-452: The health of waterways and water supply challenges facing the modern urban city. IWM is often associated with green infrastructure when considered in the design process. Professionals in their respective fields, such as urban planners , architects , landscape architects , interior designers , and engineers , often consider integrated water management as a foundation of the design process. Also known as low impact development (LID) in

3950-446: The importance of green infrastructure in slowing down and treating stormwater runoff. DuPage County Stormwater Management launched the "Love Blue. Live Green." outreach campaign on social media sites to educate the public on green infrastructure and some other best management practices for stormwater runoff. Articles, websites, pictures, videos and other media are spread to the public through this campaign. Stormwater infrastructure

4029-416: The increased stormwater from impervious surfaces such as roofs, parking lots, and streets to runoff into. Instead, the stormwater enters the subsurface drainage system by moving down through the ground. When the subsurface water flow becomes great enough to transport soil and rock fragments, the karst openings grow rapidly. Where karst openings are roofed by supportive ( competent ) limestone, there frequently

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4108-413: The misappropriations and costs of remediation result[ed] in a net fund deficit of $ 17 million, placing Bayside Council at a significant disadvantage". At the 2016 census , there were 156,058 people in the Bayside local government area; of these 49.5 per cent were male and 50.5 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.0 per cent of the population; significantly below

4187-420: The national average, households in the Bayside local government area had a lower than average proportion (20.7 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 22.2 per cent); and a lower proportion (41.1 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 72.7 per cent). Bayside Council has fifteen councillors , with three councillors elected in each of five wards by

4266-520: The natural features of the river system with tree planting, pollution traps and landscaping . Footpaths and a cycle track were built to increase recreational use of the river. The NSW State Government committed A$ 2.9 million to the restoration of the sheet piling on the banks of the river. In November 2007 the Federal Australian Labor Party , then in opposition, made an announcement of A$ 2 million for environmental projects on

4345-616: The nutrient phosphorus . Stormwater is a major cause of urban flooding . Urban flooding is the inundation of land or property in a built-up environment caused by stormwater overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems , such as storm sewers . Although triggered by single events such as flash flooding or snow melt , urban flooding is a condition, characterized by its repetitive, costly and systemic impacts on communities. In areas susceptible to urban flooding, backwater valves and other infrastructure may be installed to mitigate losses. Where properties are built with basements , urban flooding

4424-555: The opportunity to contribute to the direction of the Alliance, and provide local resident perspectives. Water quality testing conducted by the Water Research Centre found quantities of pharmaceutical and industrial chemicals at levels similar to untreated sewage. A very old and broken sewerage system has been blamed for the contaminants which included soaps, insecticides, caffeine and anticonvulsants. A group of local Councils fund

4503-402: The permit system. EPA has authorized 47 states to issue NPDES permits. In addition to implementing the NPDES requirements, many states and local governments have enacted their own stormwater management laws and ordinances, and some have published stormwater treatment design manuals. Some of these state and local requirements have expanded coverage beyond the federal requirements. For example,

4582-560: The pollutants carried in stormwater runoff, urban runoff is being recognized as a cause of pollution in its own right Stormwater is also an important resource as human population and demand for water grow, particularly in arid and drought-prone climates. Stormwater harvesting techniques and purification could potentially make some urban environments self-sustaining in terms of water. With less vegetation and more impervious surfaces ( parking lots , roads , buildings , compacted soil ), developed areas allow less rain to infiltrate into

4661-500: The potential for future problems. In undisturbed areas with natural subsurface ( karst ) drainage, soil and rock fragments choke karst openings thereby being a self-limitation to the growth of openings. The undisturbed karst drainage system becomes balanced with the climate so it can drain the water produced by most storms. However, problems occur when the landscape is altered by urban development. In urban areas with natural subsurface ( karst ) drainage there are no surface streams for

4740-586: The potential to increase the volume of stormwater that can contribute to drainage and flooding problems. IWM offers several techniques, including stormwater harvest (to reduce the amount of water that can cause flooding), infiltration (to restore the natural recharge of groundwater), biofiltration or bioretention (e.g., rain gardens ), to store and treat runoff and release it at a controlled rate to reduce impact on streams and wetland treatments (to store and control runoff rates and provide habitat in urban areas). There are many ways of achieving LID. The most popular

4819-474: The project named Riverlife, which trains tour guides and organises interpretive walking and cycling tours of the "river" most weekends. In 2022, educator and YouTuber Beau Miles attempted to paddle a kayak down the full length of the Cooks River, producing a documentary of the journey to highlight the poor condition of the river, which he called the "sickest urban river in Australia". Before European Settlement,

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4898-612: The proposed amalgamation until a decision was made by the Court. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal in early September 2016, and the Minister for Local Government, Paul Toole , moved quickly to proclaim the formation of Bayside Council on 9 September 2016, with the former administrator of Central Darling Shire , Greg Wright, appointed as the Administrator . On 9 September 2017, the first council consisting of fifteen councillors across 5 wards

4977-471: The public consultation resulting in 69% of 83 submissions not supporting the change of ward names to numbers. The Liberal Party did not endorse any candidates, including its five councillors elected in 2017 . In August 2017, Bayside Council selected its new logo via a public competition and vote, with Mascot resident, Ray Kurniawan's design winning. The logo depicts a sailing boat above water, with Kurniawan describing its symbolism: "The concept to use

5056-419: The public not able to distinguish between their ward and their suburb, at its meeting on 14 November 2018, Bayside Council voted to exhibit changes to the ward names: "Port Botany Ward" to Ward 1 , "Mascot Ward" to Ward 2 , "Rockdale Ward" to Ward 3 , "Bexley Ward" to Ward 4 , and "Botany Bay Ward" to Ward 5 . At the subsequent meeting on 13 February 2019, Bayside Council voted to adopt these changes, despite

5135-476: The river and adjacent lands are being recognised for their beauty, history, amenity and environmental value, if not also for potential for improvements. The walkway and cycleway beside much of the river is part of the path connecting Sydney Olympic Park with Botany Bay. Care and control of the river is shared between many local councils and the New South Wales Government through agencies such as

5214-575: The river by developing a canal system and removing of the footings of Tempe Dam, proposal which had been made originally by engineer H B Henson, in 1896. In 2010 the Cup and Saucer Wetlands were built in Canterbury to create a natural environment for the native wildlife and fauna. Selected areas of the Cooks River which is lined with concrete will be replaced in 2013 and 2014 with a more natural bank with sandstone rocks and indigenous planting. The Cooks River has

5293-501: The river. whilst on the northern side, it is generally thought that the Gameygal clan lived between the mouth of the Cooks River and the ocean. Further west, the river was used by the Cadigal people (whose country extended north up to Port Jackson and took in the area where modern-day Sydney is now located). Further west still and along the upper reaches of the river, the country was occupied by

5372-561: The sanitary sewer system, which takes on some storm water as a result of Infiltration/Inflow . An example of urban stormwater creating a sinkhole collapse is the February 25, 2002 Dishman Lane collapse in Bowling Green, Kentucky where a sinkhole suddenly dropped the road under four traveling vehicles. The nine-month repair of the Dishman Lane collapse cost a million dollars but there remains

5451-412: The soil ( infiltrate ) and become groundwater , be stored on depressed land surface in ponds and puddles , evaporate back into the atmosphere, or contribute to surface runoff . Most runoff is conveyed directly as surface water to nearby streams , rivers or other large water bodies ( wetlands , lakes and oceans ) without treatment. In natural landscapes, such as forests, soil absorbs much of

5530-769: The storm event, little infiltrates the soil, replenishes groundwater , or supplies stream baseflow in dry weather. A first flush is the initial runoff of a rainstorm. During this phase, polluted water entering storm drains in areas with high proportions of impervious surfaces is typically more concentrated compared to the remainder of the storm. Consequently, these high concentrations of urban runoff result in high levels of pollutants discharged from storm sewers to surface waters . Daily human activities result in deposition of pollutants on roads , lawns , roofs , farm fields, and other land surfaces. Such pollutants include trash, sediment, nutrients, bacteria, pesticides, metals, and petroleum byproducts. When it rains or there

5609-417: The stormwater. Plants also reduce stormwater by improving infiltration, intercepting precipitation as it falls, and by taking up water through their roots. In developed environments, such as cities , unmanaged stormwater can create two major issues: one related to the volume and timing of runoff ( flooding ) and the other related to potential contaminants the water is carrying ( water pollution ). In addition to

5688-482: The top of the Sugarworks Dam was covered by 3 metres (10 ft) of water. Authorities responded to the extensive damage and loss of animals by removing the dams and weirs. A proposed series of canals connecting the river with Sydney Harbour was not commenced. A sewage farm operated near the mouth of the river from 1889 to 1916. A railway was used in both the construction of mains and filtration buildings, as well as in

5767-534: The water is filtered and runs clean, and where wildlife has returned. One section here is called the Chain of Ponds. At Belfield it joins with the Cox Creek Channel and flows in an easterly direction. The canal widens and deepens as it picks up stormwater from surrounding suburbs, such as Campsie and becomes influenced by tidal action. At Canterbury , it is joined by Cup and Saucer Creek . Industrial areas line

5846-543: Was amalgamated into Botany, within a reconstituted Municipality of Botany. Botany remained a municipality until 11 May 1996, when it was proclaimed the "City of Botany Bay". A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the City of Botany Bay amalgamate with the City of Rockdale to form a new council with an area of 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) and support

5925-528: Was built to serve a sugar mill at the new village of Canterbury Vale . The location took advantage of the water supply and barge transport. The mill closed in 1855; however, other polluting industries were later to follow including wool washes, tanneries and boiling down works. Despite the increasingly doubtful quality of the water, the river remained a popular place in the late nineteenth century for boating , picnics and swimming . In 1894, artist Sydney Long painted an idyllic scene of boys swimming in

6004-645: Was desirable. On 17 May 1888 the Parliament of New South Wales passed the Rockdale Municipality Naming Act (No.33, 1888), and West Botany became the "Municipal District of Rockdale". The 1887 Town Hall was replaced by the current Rockdale Town Hall in 1940, and was designed by Rockdale architect Douglas Gardiner . Under the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 , the Municipality of Bexley , which

6083-639: Was elected, and the former mayor of Rockdale, Bill Saravinovski, was elected as the first mayor on 27 September. The early period of the council was punctuated by revelations of the extent of issues inherited from the former Botany Bay Council, including an antiquated vehicle fleet costing millions of dollars to replace, and the legacy of ICAC investigations that uncovered the significant misappropriation of funds and fraud by former Botany Bay Council employees, which had led to 12 individuals being recommended for prosecution. The first mayor of Bayside Council, Bill Saravinovski, in particular noted that, "The legacy of

6162-586: Was formed on 9 September 2016 from the merger of the City of Botany Bay and the City of Rockdale . The Council's mayor is Ed McDougall, of the Australian Labor Party , elected by the Council on 9 October 2024. Suburbs in the Bayside Council area are: Bayside Council also manages and maintains the following localities: The City of Rockdale was originally proclaimed as the "Municipal District of West Botany" on 13 January 1871. From 1872, Council met in

6241-571: Was located immediately to the West and had separated from Hurstville in 1900, became the First Ward of Rockdale Municipality. Rockdale was declared a city in 1995 as the "City of Rockdale". The City of Botany Bay was first proclaimed on 29 March 1888 as the "Borough of Botany", and met from 1899 to 2016 in the Botany Town Hall. The northern section of the City of Botany Bay was first incorporated as

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