Surrey Street parks waterway health improvement program

Upgrades to Surrey Street Reserve and Elizabeth Street Park

We are working with Cumberland Council to help clean up Duck Creek. Our waterway health improvement program aims to improve the health and quality of stormwater before it enters the creek.

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About this project

We've teamed with Cumberland Council to improve the health of Duck Creek. We are exploring ways to improve water quality and natural habitats in Surrey Street Reserve and Elizabeth Street Park to make the area more liveable and vibrant. Urban stormwater is recognised as the main cause of decline of waterway health.

Council has been preparing designs for the area and work will be done in 2 stages:

Stage 1 (completed) – Included upgrades to Murdock Street and Maunder Reserve.

Stage 2 – Create an integrated open space with water quality improvement designs in Surrey Street Reserve and Elizabeth Street Park. This will also include the potential road closure of Surrey Street to create one larger continuous open space.

Key waterway health and park improvements include:

  • replacing the concrete stormwater channel with gently sloping banks stabilised with native plants and rocks
  • new vegetation and wetlands to naturally filter and clean stormwater
  • planting more greenery, and increasing wildlife to help control mosquito populations and create a balanced ecosystem
  • a new lookout point, boardwalk, pedestrian paths and seating to enjoy the natural surroundings
  • planting additional trees and plants to attract wildlife and provide shade
  • improving paths and connections in the park including a sealed pedestrian path between Military Road and O'Neill Street
  • providing a vehicle turning area
  • providing an outdoor fitness equipment area.

The timing and delivery of future stages depends on the availability of funding from Sydney Water and Council.

Benefits

The improvements will help the environment and provide a better habitat for native wildlife while also creating a pleasant space for the community to enjoy.

Project updates

21 December 2022
Community feedback on landscape designs

Thank you to those who provided feedback on the Surrey Street Reserve and Elizabeth Street Park preliminary concept design in mid 2022.

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Naturalisation involves removing the channel's steep concrete banks and creating gently sloping banks and wetlands that are stabilised with native plants and boulders or sandstone blocks. Since the stormwater channels were once natural waterways, they're important ecological links for plants and animals. 

The wetlands will look like shallow natural ponds. Some parts will have open water, while other parts will have native sedges to clean the stormwater and provide places for birds to nest and feed.

Naturalised banks are designed to handle extreme weather conditions. The rocks will be carefully placed to fit and form a strong barrier that holds together in extreme flood conditions. Plants with strong root systems will help to hold the banks in place as they do in natural creeks.

The work won't worsen flooding. Detailed flood modelling will ensure no negative impact. Improving flooding is beyond this project's scope and requires extensive testing. We collaborate with councils through the NSW Floodplain Risk Management Process.

We'll plant dense, spiky native plants around the wetland to keep people and dogs out. The wetland will be fenced until the plants grow fully. It will also have gently sloping banks to prevent accidental falls into the water.

Naturalising the channel means planting local native plants to improve the environment and habitat for wildlife. We'll plant more trees and don't expect to remove any existing trees.

The wetland will be designed to create a balanced ecosystem that manages mosquito populations and supports native wildlife.

Natural banks are designed to reduce the buildup of larger rubbish. Smaller rubbish will be regularly collected and removed by our maintenance team. We also have litter traps in waterways to catch rubbish which will be cleaned out regularly.