Contempory geographical issue relating to water management at Lake Parramatta, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Essay by h4n53nJunior High, 8th gradeA+, September 2003

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Lake Parramatta

Geographical processes

Human actions can dramatically increase riverbank erosion. These actions include land clearing near creeks and rivers, rural and urban development, trampling by pedestrians and the introduction of exotic vegetation such as trees and vines with shallow roots.

Stormwater drainage has led to the increased flow of water in rivers during storms, due to the excess amount of water flowing into the river, the sediment on the bottom of the river is disturbed making the water cloudy.

Chemical runoff is another geographical process affecting the water quality, effluents and fertilizers can alter and damage the water environment and thus disturbing the balance of the environment in the river and in turn may affect the water quality.

Perceptions of different groups

Councils the Department of Land and Water Conservation and NSW Fisheries all encourage revegetation along riverbanks where possible and are able to offer support and advice to land owners.

There are many organizations, which focus on issues relating to water quality management and health risk reduction, from catchment and reservoir management and water treatment to the distribution of drinking water to consumers' taps.

Most groups believe that Waterways are a public asset that should be managed for the public good. No part of a waterway should be relinquished for private gain unless there are significant and demonstrable social gains and no reduction in the environmental sustainability of the waterway. In this respect, the Centre believes the precautionary principle should be the predominant decider for development proposals.

Improving the environmental sustainability of waterways has been high on the agenda of both local and state governments, and of many community-based groups.

Decision making processes

UPRCT (Upper Parramatta river catchment trust) focuses mainly on stormwater management, as problems to do with bank erosion have already been resolved. UPRCT identifies which...