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Hopeful sign

Janice TeoEastern Reporter

I READ the article in last week’s edition headlined “City is streaming eco-friendly rivers”, which launched the City of Swan program to improve water quality of local catchments by targeting light industry.

This was great news to hear that the City views this as a priority in environmental management, considering for the past 10 years our group’s plea for recognition of the issue of polluted stormwater discharge from industry areas affecting waterways and wetlands.

The group has carried out water quality monitoring at Lightning Swamp since 2003 and monitoring has shown a disturbing level of pollutants discharging into the wetland with the development of the Malaga industrial area.

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By 2009, the level of pollutants in stormwater had posed a significant threat and our pleas to implement an audit program of the Malaga industrial area fell on councillors’ death ears.

In desperation, we had managed to include Malaga on a 2010 State audit program funded by Swan River Trust for Perth NRM officers to carry out a first audit of the site.

Since then we have had the welcome support of the City of Bayswater and Sercul to assist us in our water quality programs.

I hope this is a sign of a new era by the City of Swan to improve and better manage its highly valued local waterways by regular auditing to raise environmental awareness in local industry.

JOHN WILLIAMS, president,

The Friends of Lightning Swamp Bushland.