A flurry of activity is now taking place.
Council is about to start flood mitigation works directly upstream from Patawalonga Creek.
The silt ponds are currently being surveyed. Transport SA is the responsible agency and will soon call for tenders for the sale of this material (including sediment mounds along the Creek). It is expected to be removed before the end of June.
The original contract specified that when the silt ponds are finally removed, the land is to be 'made good', i.e. restored to its original condition. The environmental team at Transport SA is apparently committed to undertaking the remediation in a responsible manner.
FoPC members can take pride in our achievements over the years in focussing attention on the environmental values and in building partnerships to ensure that this unique area is retained.
Andrew Winkler
| Measuring up: Surveyors at the silt ponds east of Patawalonga Creek.
| Steering Committee participants, July 2005:
(L-R) Amy Blaylock (KESAB Waterwatch), Michael Wilson (FoPC),
Stephanie Bolt (AAL), Dave Hemmings (UFBP), Caroline Wilson (Our Patch), Renae Eden and Peri Coleman (Delta Environmental).
Just days after starting at the end of July the new Airport Environment Manager, Stephanie Bolt, hosted the Pat Creek Steering Committee. At this meeting Angelo Catinari and Andrew King, engineers from
the City of West Torrens, gave a presentation on the CWT's proposal to upgrade the Cowandilla storm-water drain from May Terrace to West Beach Road, which feeds into Pat Creek.
Stage 1A will involve duplicating the existing culverts under Tapleys Hill Road (south side) and West Beach Road (east side) and providing a ford or floodway across West Beach Road.
Stage 1B includes re-engineering the channel itself - a levee bank on the northern side of the channel to protect West Beach houses from flooding, and laying back and revegetating the Airport side of the channel to accommodate flows from a 1:100 year storm event.
Stage 2 covers works in the Pat Creek area south of West Beach Road and requires further planning; these works may take a couple of years.
Public consultation on Stage 1 will take place shortly; the actual works for Stage 1A are expected to start soon and take 20 weeks to complete. However, this additional channel capacity will not be made operational until all works (including Stage 2) are completed.
On National Tree Day in July, over 100 volunteers took part in revegetating the site. Steve Georganas MHR did some planting and was given a tour; later in the day he launched a policy on Greening the Western Suburbs.
| Supervision: Immanuel College students demonstrating macroinvertebrate sampling to primary schoolchildren on the Schools Tree Day.
Two days earlier, 300 primary schoolchildren from several local schools, supervised by Immanuel College students, undertook plantings in another part of the site. Besides the on-site work the College students are doing, they also engaged in fund-raising for additional signage for the Pat Creek site.
A group of people from Community Volunteers Australia sponsored by their employer, AGL, will also do three days of work here over the next two months.
| Prickly business: CVA volunteers are shown the delicate art of
boxthorn removal
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Reedbeds Environment Centre
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Our grant application for the Reedbeds environmental history project to the Sharing Australia's Stories program was unsuccessful. (Only 22 out of 980 applicants nation-wide were funded.)
We intend to apply again for the next round later this year. Given the very high standard of application required, we will be consulting more widely and actively seeking and enlisting the support of other potentially interested parties.
At the June Curry Night, nearly 40 people listened to Dr Rob Fitzpatrick's lively talk on Acid sulfate soils, South Australia's nastiest. These soils occur at Gillman, the former MFP site, now being considered for industrial development. They also occur in the vicinity of Pat Creek.
At the next Curry Night on 16 September, Brian Caton will speak on the topic The Adelaide Coast: Yesterday & Today. Brian is an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Coastal Management at the School of Geography, Population and Environmental Management at Flinders University and also a Member (and former Chair) of the Coast Protection Board.
We would like to hold another Curry Night (October / November). When we last appealed for volunteers in June, we had a magnificent response, so the future of these events seems well-assured - but due to illness and people being away, we are again facing a shortage.
If you can spare even an hour or two on the day, please call the Reedbeds office on 8235 1644. (Office hours 9am - 1pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.)
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Friends of Gulf St Vincent
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www.chariot.net.au/~littoral/fogsv/index.htm
FoGStV President Pat Harbison has been in communication with the Environment Protection Authority to express our concerns regarding the proposed dredging of the Outer Harbor shipping channel.
FoGStV concerns regarding lack of progress on the 2000 Senate report on the Gulf resulted in an article in The Advertiser on 15/8/2005.
Following the success of our Community Forum in Port Vincent last April, FoGStV are planning to hold another Forum at a beachside location in the western suburbs in late October.
This may be sponsored by the EPA and will be an opportunity to present to the public the findings of the research conducted over the past two years through the Adelaide Coastal Waters Study.
The FoGStV AGM will be conducted immediately after the Forum.
Late in November FoGStV are proposing to hold a fundraising Quiz Night in conjunction with the Henley & Grange Residents Association, at Reedbeds.
There is also a possibility of becoming involved with SA Living Arts (SALA). The next SALA week in August 2006 may be an opportunity for an event promoting community engagement in coastal/marine issues through artistic activities.
FoGStV has been successful in a grant application, to purchase a colour laser printer. This will be housed at Reedbeds and used for projects to assist volunteers of FoGStV - including member groups - and for our newsletter, 'Blue Swimmer'.
| A suitable venue: In July, Reefwatch held a fundraising quiznight at Reedbeds, attracting 150 people with room to spare.
FoPC's Treasurer, George Carter, has suffered a stroke recently; we all wish him a speedy recovery.
Friday 16 September: Curry & Casserole Night
Fundraiser for FoPC & the Reedbeds Environment Resource Centre.
6:30pm Meal:Cost: $15 ($10 Friends of Reedbeds, S/P/U)
8:00pm Guest speaker: Brian Caton
( Member, Coast Protection Board;
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Coastal Management
School of Geography, Population and Environmental Management, Flinders University)
Topic: The Adelaide Coast: Yesterday and Today
(attendance at talk only is welcome Free)
view details
Download the flyer for this event - PDF version (137 Kb)
Thursday, 29 September 2005, 7:30 pm, at:
The Reedbeds Community Centre, cnr. Fitch & Halsey Roads, Fulham (carpark entry off Phelps Court).
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the work program for the coming workday and other on-going projects
Workdays:
Pat Creek:
Sunday 2 October, from 9 am.
Meet at the busstop (18B) on West Beach Road (west of Tapleys Hill Road,
and adjacent to the Creek and the silt ponds).
Henley & Grange Dunecare have workdays on the second Sunday of each month at the nursery in Atkin Street, Henley Beach, at 10 am.
CREATED BY:
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LINKED TO:
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 Ground Truth:
towards an
environmental history
of South Australia
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