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| August 2001 |
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Council in running for top prize
The Council is one of four finalists in the Thiess Service International River Prize — one of tthe world’s top environment awards. The winner will be announced at tthe end of this month in Brisbane. The essence of the City Council’s waterways management programme is the transition from primary drainage facilities to multi-value, functional waterways, and includes ecology, social and economic values. In its submission, the Council wrote that the fundamental achievement had been to bring about a complete about-face in the management of its rivers and their catchments from 1990 to 2000. The changed philosophy means that the Council assesses all waterway and wetland management in terms of ecology, landscape, cultural, recreation, and heritage as well as drainage values. Partnerships with the community and other groups are the hallmark of every project. The entry says tthe Council also recognises the impact of past adverse affects and remedying them in a way that provides multiple benefits. Over the last 10 years $40 million has been invested in the programme and another $45 million is budgeted for in the Council’s capital expenditure programme for the next 10 years. The strategy for waterways and wetlands is set for the next 40 years but it is a "living" document that will evolve as more is learnt about the natural systems and opportunities present themselves. It includes greater emphasis on research and environmental monitoring. Other competition finalists are the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Canada; the Alexander River Restoration Administration, Israel; and the Blackwood Basin Group, Western Australia. The prize is $A100,000 and will be presented as part of Brisbane’s annual River Festival. |
