Waterway Restoration
Water is our most valuable, natural resource. It has many diverse and important values - providing habitat sources for wildlife, water for households, factories and farms and recreational and educational benefits for us all. Because of this it is vital that we protect our waterways.
Recognising our riparian land
The land that adjoins, or directly influences a body of water is also known as riparian land and includes:
- land immediately alongside small creeks and rivers, including the river bank itself
- gullies and dips which sometimes run with water
- areas surrounding lakes and dams
- wetlands and river floodplains which interact with the river in times of flood
Vegetated riparian corridors acts as the 'skin' that provides protection to a waterway, acting as a buffer between terrestrial and acquatic ecosystems and maintaining the health and viability of the waterway.
Healthy native riparian vegetation plays very a important role in:
- the lifecycle of many native animals and providing a food source and refuge
- improving soil fertility and productivity of surrounding land
- reducing flood damage, decreasing erosion, and filtering sediment
- improving water quality and filtering harmful nutrients
- healthy ecosystems for both land and water-based species
- regulating water temperature, providing shelter and organic matter for aquatic organisms
Riparian corridors are also an important socio-economic asset, providing an integral link between suburbs, supporting people movement, offering recreational opportunities and improving the visual amenity of the surrounding area.
Council riparian restoration initiatives
Ipswich City Council prioritises and delivers waterway restoration work on council land, and supports landholders to improve waterways on private property, through a range of initiatives.
This can include, but is not limited to:
Habitat Connections
This is a strategic waterway rehabilitation program which aims to restore degraded riparian corridors throughout Ipswich and increase their resilience to erosion and flood damage. It targets priority creeks requiring restoration and maintenance.
The program includes regular community opportunities to take part in revegetation activities including the popular Trees for Mum event on Mothers Day, World Rivers Day planting in September, and other partnership-baed opportunities such as National Tree Day. Community events are listed on Ipswich City Council Eventbrite page in the lead-up to event dates.
Additional Resources