Healthy waterways program
The ACT’s beautiful lakes, rivers, and wetlands make it a great place to live. These waterways provide recreation spots and are home to native plants and animals. All of this depends on clean and healthy water.
The Healthy Waterways program works to:
- build wetlands, ponds, rain gardens and other infrastructure that cleans pollutants from stormwater
- support government, businesses and residents to take good care of our environment
- improve our understanding of our waterways through research, monitoring and reporting
- develop catchment plans to improve the quality of water runoff from urban and rural areas.
Keeping our waterways healthy reduces health risks to humans and pets and improves the liveability of the ACT, enhancing our wellbeing by conserving and experiencing nature and culture.
Projects and programs
Together we can protect the lakes
Every time it rains, stormwater flows from roads, roofs, and footpaths into drains, carrying pollutants to our waterways.
The pollutants in stormwater include:
- phosphorus—a nutrient that stimulates unhealthy algal blooms—found in leaves, grass clippings, manures, fertilisers and animal droppings
- chemicals like fertiliser, pesticides or car fluids.
There is no treatment plant for the stormwater system. Our waterways need everyone to play a part to stop pollution.
The ACT Government is supporting the community to protect our waterways by:
- building wetlands, ponds and rain gardens to strip pollutants from stormwater
- sweeping streets to intercept leaf litter and pollutants before they reach the drains
- encouraging the community to collect excess green waste in green bins and turning it into compost and mulch
- helping the community to reduce nutrients and pollutants from gardens and businesses.