Thousands of fish found dead in Throsby Creek

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Residents around Newcastle's Throsby Creek are concerned, after thousands of dead fish were found floating in the water in Wickham and Tighes Hill.

The Environment Protection Authority and the Department of Primary Industries say there's no evidence pollution or industrial discharge is responsible.

It's alleged critically low dissolved oxygen levels in the water are responsible, due to a build-up of leaf litter, as well as heavy rainfall and high temperatures.

But residents say they'd like to see further investigation into the issue.

There's also concern the dead fish could draw bull sharks into the shallow parks of the creek.

Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp says the community's "extremely keen to see the reason behind [the fish kill]". 

"I've been contacted by a number of local residents living around the water, and they are deeply concerned, as am I," Mr Crakanthorp said.

"I know the community's very upset by this, and a quick analysis and an understanding of the issue would be very helpful for the Throsby community and Newcastle as a whole."

Image credit: Tom Mogus Wickert.

Newcastle MPs Push for Throsby Creek Funding

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

Throsby Creek could be listed as a priority project to receive environmental works funding if the federal opposition is successful at next month's election.

Newcastle MP Sharon Claydon is pushing for the project to receive the funding under Labor's Urban Rivers and Corridors program.

If the party is successful the $200 million dollar initiative will offer community environmental groups across the country small grants to restore and protect urban waterways.

"We're making sure that Newcastle is at the forefront of Labor's thinking when we're looking at projects to fund but there's an important process to be going through in terms of reaching out to the community now," said Ms Claydon.

The MP referenced Islington Public School's recent "Mullet Revolution" day to highlight the community's ongoing engagement with the restoration of the creek.

"Already school groups are thoroughly engaged, their parents, families, businesses are already on board but we want to ensure that this project is front and centre of our thinking."

Ms Claydon was joined by local state MP Tim Crakanthorp and Shadow Minister for the Environment and Water Tony Burke in Newcastle today to discuss the project's potential.

Today’s announcement means the creek has been selected as an eligible site for priority projects, which will be reviewed and checked before they are confirmed.

Tony Burke said Throsby Creek is the sort of location Labor had been looking for while designing the Urban Rivers program but there's still some community consultation to be done before he can announce the priority projects.

Mr Crakanthorp is chair of the Throsby Creek Government Agencies Committee and said any talk of funding for the catchment, which runs through most of his electorate, is very exciting.

"The tributaries and Throsby Creek itself have a huge amount of rubbish in it and one of our priorities is to see that rubbish stopped before it actually gets into the tributaries and creeks," said Tim Crakanthorp.

"What I would like to focus on is gross pollutant traps and litter traps to stop all of that before it gets into the water and also there's a new lot of litter traps that actually sit in the water as well and collect litter so I'm very interested in that."

Mr Crakanthorp said there's currently huge momentum in the community about the creek and the committee is due to publish the third iteration of it's Throsby Creek Management Plan.

"We've had the Mullet Revolution on Sunday at Islington Public School and just this week we got the publication of this amazing little photographic book on pollution and waste and rubbish in this catchment area,"

"So let's get under the momentum, let's get the community behind this and hopefully we can secure some funding in the future for this."

Anyone wishing to support Throsby Creek's nomination for priority can do so here.

Tony Burke, Sharon Claydon and Tim Crakanthorp look over the booklet on local pollution. Photo: James Forgacs/2NURFM News

Have Your Say on Future of Throsby Creek

BY LAUREN FREEMANTLE

The future of the Throsby Creek Catchment is being mapped out on a new six-year Plan.

Members of the Throsby Creek Agencies Committee are seeking to improve the ecology's health, and want nearby residents to have a look at the strategy on the Hunter Water website.

The Plan reflects the concept of Total Catchment Management as per the two preceding plans for the catchment, the Throsby Creek TCM Strategy 1989 and the subsequent 2001 TCM Strategy. Those documents were reviewed by relevant stakeholders with agreed outstanding and ongoing actions incorporated in the Plan.

Committee Chair and Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp says it's been a long time coming.

"I've been working with state government agencies on this Plan," he said, "we're putting it on exhibition now and we welcome the community's feedback on this."

Committee representative John Sutton says we cannot afford to let the Creek's health slide.

"There's nothing particularly dramatic in this plan, it tackles all of the issues...like water quality, litter, flooding and the general health of the ecosystem," he said.

"We want to continue the improvement that's happened because these things need ongoing monitoring."

The six-year strategy period was decided upon by the Committee as a realistic and tangible timeframe, with activity to commence in late 2018.

You can view the document here.

Throsby Creek Government Agencies Committee with Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp.