Gross pollutant traps: Barriers placed across stormwater drains that trap large items of rubbish to stop them from entering waterways. Gross pollutant traps can stop items like plastic containers, drinks cans and plastic bags but smaller items like cigarette butts may not get trapped. Also gross pollutant traps cannot stop materials such as oil, sediment and chemicals.

Fertilisers: A chemical that is placed onto plants to help them grow faster and bigger. Fertilisers increase the nutrient levels of soils but when they are washed into waterways the increase of nutrients can cause an algae bloom.

Pesticides: Chemicals that are sprayed onto crops and garden plants in order to kill pests such as insects. Pesticides that get washed into waterways can harm plants and animals that never posed a threat to crops or plants. Some pesticides are harmful to humans if breathed in or placed on the skin.

Biodegradable materials: Substances that can be broken down naturally in the environment by bacteria and fungi. Wood and paper are biodegradable but generally plastics are non-biodegradable.

Sediment: Any small pieces of matter that is transported by moving water. Sediment includes soil, plant matter, sand and materials washed from building sites such as cement and brick rubble. Some sediment in waterways is normal however increased levels reduce plant growth by blocking sunlight penetration or can smother plants and animals.

Sediment: Any small pieces of matter that is transported by moving water. Sediment includes soil, plant matter, sand and materials washed from building sites such as cement and brick rubble. Some sediment in waterways is normal however increased levels reduce plant growth by blocking sunlight penetration or can smother plants and animals.

Soil erosion: Soil is naturally worn away by wind and water. Normally plants and trees hold soil together and slow down soil erosion, however when land is cleared to make way for farming or building this natural protection against soil erosion is lost.

Sediment: Any small pieces of matter that is transported by moving water. Sediment includes soil, plant matter, sand and materials washed from building sites such as cement and brick rubble. Some sediment in waterways is normal however increased levels reduce plant growth by blocking sunlight penetration or can smother plants and animals.

Nutrients: Chemicals that make up food and are essential for plant growth. However if excess nutrients enter the waterways such as from animal droppings or fertiliser runoff they upset the balance of life in the waterways.

Algae bloom: Excess nutrients in the water allow tiny rootless plants called algae to rapidly multiply and result in an algae bloom. During an algae bloom there are so many of these small plants that they use all the oxygen in the water and block sunlight from reaching other plants and animals. This results in lower growth rates or even death for these plants and animals.

Pesticides: Chemicals that are sprayed onto crops and garden plants in order to kill pests such as insects. Pesticides that get washed into waterways can harm plants and animals that never posed a threat to crops or plants. Some pesticides are harmful to humans if breathed in or placed on the skin.

Fertilisers: A chemical that is placed onto plants to help them grow faster and bigger. Fertilisers increase the nutrient levels of soils but when they are washed into waterways the increase of nutrients can cause an algae bloom.

Bilge water: The water that collects in the lowest part of a ship or boat. Bilge water often contains oil, fuel and grease from the engine.

Boat wake: The small wave created by boats as they move through the water. If boat wakes are too high they can erode shorelines and disrupt nesting seabirds when they reach land.

Bag limits: A limit placed on the number of a species of fish that a fisher can legally catch in one day. Bag limits protect fish from being over fished.

Catch and release: The practise of returning a caught fish to the water as a way of protecting fish numbers.
 
 
Local Councils

Manufacturing Industries

Building Industries

Agriculture

Ship and boat users

 
 

Environmental Management of Sydney Harbour


As we saw on the Sydney Harbour Catchment page everyone living and working in the catchment area can harm the water quality of Sydney Harbour if they are careless in their actions. Therefore everyone is responsible for managing his or her environmental impacts. On this page we look at how some businesses and government agencies can help to minimise their impacts on the catchment.



Local Councils are the level of government responsible for providing services to homes and businesses. Local Councils can take action to improve the quality of the Sydney Harbour catchment if they:

Install gross pollutant traps across stormwater drains to stop litter from reaching the harbour.

 Run community and business education programs to improve awareness of catchment management.

 Regularly clean roadways and empty rubbish bins to prevent litter from entering the waterways.

 Limit the use of fertilisers and pesticides on parks.

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Manufacturing Industries can have a great variety of impacts on the harbour due to the range of different industries that exist. However they can all reduce their impacts if they:

Responsibly dispose of waste products including hazardous chemicals.

 Have safe storage for materials, chemicals and fuels so that they cannot be washed into waterways by rainfall or blown into waterways by the wind.

 Reduce the use of packaging that may become rubbish - especially plastic bags.

 Increase the use of biodegradable materials.

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Building Industries whether building roads, office blocks or houses can have an impact, and they can reduce their impacts if they:

Place a sediment barrier on the lowest edge of building sites to stop rain from washing sediment into waterways.

 Install covered containers on building sites to collect litter and other materials and stop them being blown into the waterway.

 Cover building materials such as dirt, sand and cement to prevent the wind from blowing them into waterways.

 Hose down vehicles as they leave building sites to stop them from carrying sediments on their tyres.

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Agriculture - farmers produce the food we need to survive, but their activities can also impact on Sydney Harbour. Here's some ways they can reduce those impacts:

Fence off access to streams and creeks to prevent farm animals from eroding riverbanks with their hooves. Soil erosion leads to increased sediments in the water that can block sunlight and smother plants.

Fence off access to streams and creeks to prevent farm animals from polluting the waterway with their droppings. Farm animal droppings increase nutrient levels in the water that can cause an algae bloom.

Reduce the use of pesticides and fertilisers that can run off into the water. Pesticides are chemicals that are harmful to many species other than the target species. Fertilisers increase nutrient levels and can cause an algae bloom.

 Plant trees along streams and creeks to reduce soil erosion and capture nutrients from fertilisers and animal droppings before they are washed into the water.

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Ship and boat users - Ships bring goods and passengers to Sydney from all over the world. Other boats operate only in the harbour such as ferries and tour cruise operators. There are also many recreational boats from small dinghies to large cruisers. All boat operators can reduce their impacts if they:

Stop oil and fuel from entering the water by maintaining boat engines and filtering bilge water.

Carefully transfer wastes and liquids between ship and land to prevent them from entering the waterway.

Remain within harbour speed limits so that the boat wake does not damage shorelines.

Educate tourists how to care for the harbour and why it is important.

Fish within bag limits and practise catch and release fishing.

Place bins with lids on board ships and boats.

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Click here to read 10 ways your household can reduce its impacts on Sydney Harbour.