Conserving water

The City of Swan is a Gold Waterwise Council and encourages schools, developments and golf courses to get involved with various waterwise programs:

• Schools program 
• Golf courses program 
• Developments program. 

Using less water is important, and there are many ways to do it, such as:

• Planting waterwise species
• Installing aerators and flow restrictors on taps and showers
• Taking shorter showers
• Using wastewater to irrigate gardens
• Finding and fixing leaks quickly
• Collecting rainwater or installing a rainwater tank
• Choosing water-efficient appliances. To learn more, visit the WELS website.

For more tips, visit the Water Corporation website. 

By keeping water catchments in good condition, we help preserve the health of our waterways.
 
In the City of Swan, the catchments drain into waterways which eventually flow into the Swan River. 

To protect water quality, the City conducts regular monitoring at various sites, including popular swimming beaches along the Swan River.
 
You can help protect waterways by:

• Minimising pollution
• Being waterwise
• Growing native plants
• Installing a waterwise verge
• Practising smart pesticide use
• Fertilising wisely
• Joining a Friends or community group
• Washing your car on the lawn
• Picking up your dog’s waste and putting it in a bin
• Using phosphorus-free detergents when washing clothes or dishes
• Composting leaves and grass clippings to prevent entering drains.

To learn more details and tips on how to become waterwise, read our Waterways and Wetlands brochure.

Plants, including algae, use nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus to grow. Excessive levels of nutrients in waterways can cause algal blooms which can be harmful to human health and the environment.

Through a series of initiatives, the City of Swan has been working to reduce the input of nutrients into waterways. Actions include:

• Installing litter traps on storm water drainage pipes
• Conducting nutrient testing of turfed areas before fertilizing
• Street sweeping
• Installing several constructed wetland filtration systems
• Designing and distributing educational pamphlets
• Holding free community workshops and presentations
• Re-vegetating streams and waterways.

Water quality monitoring is completed several times per year either in natural streams such as the Bennett Brook, Ellen Brook or Brockman River, and in City of Swan or Water Corporation managed stormwater basins. Monitoring determines the health of the water for preservation of plant and animal life and prevention of issues such as algal blooms.

Remediation works designed to strip nutrients and provide habitat have commenced at a number of urban stormwater basins in the Bennett Brook catchment.

The City of Swan works closely with the Department of Health to monitor the microbial quality of popular swimming beaches along the Swan River, including at Middle Swan Reserve and Ray Marshall Park.