Brunswick Estuary Management

In June 2010 the Brunswick River Estuary Management Plan and Sewerage Augmentation Scheme, was successful in winning the United Nations Association of Australia’s Excellence in Overall Environmental Management Local Government at the World Environment Day awards.

The award recognises ten years of dedicated efforts from the community and committee members in driving and developing a sustainable vision to improve and restore the balance to the Brunswick River.

Achievements to date on the Brunswick Estuary Management Plan include:

• over 60,000 trees planted
• over five kilometres of cattle exclusion fencing
• stabilisation of 500 metres of slumping river bank
• over 1500 man hours in volunteer and paid riparian bush regeneration including endangered ecological communities such as salt marsh, floodplain rainforests and wetlands
• improvement of eight barriers to fish passage opening up 30 kilometres of the river and tributaries
• reintroducing snags for fish habitat
• expansion of the Main Arm effluent reuse scheme
• introduction of “Land for Wildlife” program
• ongoing water and catchment education in local schools

The above works have lead to the reduction of large volumes of river sediment that was ending up in, and potentially impacting, the Cape Byron Marine Park of which Brunswick River is a part.