Question
(Ginninderra Creek Clean Up)
Does the Government perform any routine cleaning to remove pollutants from Ginninderra Creek; if so, how often do these cleanings occur and when was the last one; if not, why not.
Answer
Two large wetlands have been constructed adjacent to Ginninderra Creek as part of a Healthy Waterways Project to filter urban runoff before it enters Ginninderra Creek and provide habitat for many native species.
The wetlands include Gross Pollutant Traps (GPT’s) which filter out litter and sediment. The wetlands are planted with several native macrophyte species which filter out pollutants such as Nitrogen and Phosphorus.
Monthly maintenance activities on the soft landscape and water plants are undertaken. TCCS also carries out scheduled removal of sediment and litter from the wetland’s sediment ponds and GPT’s.
The frequency of cleaning and pollutant removal from GPT’s varies by catchment. The minimum cleaning frequency is twice per annum, however in some cases the frequency is up to six times per annum. The last full round of GPT and trash rack cleaning was carried out between December 2022 and January 2023.