Homebush Bay Wetlands

Homebush Bay - Human Impacts

• ​bund walls were built during the 1950s. These changed the flow of water and reduced water levels in the soils. As a result levels of acid sulphate in soils increased.
• Powell's Creek straightened. This directed a lot of run off away from the mangroves, reduced natural deposition of silt, and interfered with natural processes. It increased the speed of runoff resulted in less silt deposited on mangroves and more on the mudflats.
• Urban and industrial land uses increased turbidity, reduced dissolved oxygen in the water.
• Oil spills from vessels using Parramatta River and Sydney Harbour.
• increased phosphates from stormwater
• reduced size of wetlands
• fragmentation of wetlands
• weed invasion
• litter
• trampling
• feral animals
• reclamation of land for agricultural, industrial and residential land use.

Bay next to Olympic Site heavily polluted. Please note this is an older article - pre-rehabilitation of the site.
Toxic secrets of the underground

Homebush Bay - Management Strategies
Contemporary strategies

• rehabilitation of Haslam's Creek - containment of toxic wastes, establishment of artificial wetlands, allows freshwater storage, contains stormwater
• removal of bund walls
• defined boardwalks and paths to reduce access to sensitive parts of the park
• Education program - guided tours, school visits, fieldstudy centre, signs, facts sheets, publications, website (e.g. Geography
  Challenge)
• pollution traps
• Legislation - Bicentinnial Park Act 1987
• creation of the Bicentennial Park Trust
• community involvement in management
• increased flow of saltwater to mangrove area - "flushing program"