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But Mr Filipowski may not be the only swimmer jumping in the water around Sydney’s Harbour following the City of Sydney announcement earlier this week of plans to transform the area into a “swimmers paradise”. The plans includedbuilding multiple pools along the city’s foreshore and improvingwater quality at a number of locations,including Pirrama Park in Pyrmont,Elizabeth Bay’s Beare Park,Barangaroo,Rushcutters Bay and the Glebe foreshore.
The proposed infrastructure will have to wait until water quality improves,a council spokesperson said. Not a small feat,according to University of NSW water expert Stuart Khan. One of the biggest issues will be managing water quality which can be compromised by bacteria from sewage overflows or stormwater.
“Bacteria risks change day to day,hour to hour,” he said. “It requires long-term monitoring. It’s not a one-off thing. It’s about understanding how sites respond to different circumstances.
“If we are going to be serious about improving water quality in the harbour,we have to look at sources of pollution which come from the land and how we develop cities in the future.”
For example,he said councils and water authorities across Sydney may need to develop a cohesive plan addressing development controls and building approvals to improve stormwater management so that water flowing into the harbour does not carry with it pollution from roads and streets. Meanwhile,sewage ways across Sydney need to be better managed so that overflows don’t impact the harbour water.
But transforming harbour locations has been done before. Areas such as Camp Cove,Watson’s Bay and Chiswick Baths are proof that it is possible.
“Sydney Harbour is what makes Sydney special – there’s no other city like it,” he said.
He added that not all locations around the harbour would be suitable for transformation,with many sites presenting their own risks,including pollution,desirability or safety issues.
Mark Drury,Chair of the Parramatta River Catchment Group,has worked with councils,MPs and community groups since 2018 to clean up the river and make parts of it swimmable. Three new locations are earmarked to open to users in the coming years,including Bayview Baths in Concord which was closed in 1969 and completely demolished in 1995. The area will be reopened in April next year.
The other locations are Ryde’s Putney Park and McIlwaine Park in Rhodes East opening by 2025.
The process has been long. It has involved community consultation about preferred locations as well as cultural and heritage considerations,testing waterways for a year measuring pollution and water quality levels,numerous safety reports and ongoing monitoring. But Mr Drury said it’s all been worth it.
“I think we’ve got a fresh appreciation of the value of parks and waterways to our health and our mental health over the COVID-19 period,” he said. “That river that has been an important part of this city for well over 30,000 years in terms of people interacting with that river and the harbour.”
“They are iconic bits of our country ... it’s something that can bring us together if people are willing.”
Further upstream,similar plans are underway to make parts of western Sydney more swimmable and accessible. For example,Penrith Lakes is earmarked for an outdoor swimming space,pending government approval.
“The opportunities at Penrith Lakes,which has the potential to be western Sydney’s playground – with a range of swimming,lifestyle and recreational uses – don’t come around very often. This isn’t a pipe-dream,it’s very real and it’s within our grasp,” Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue executive director Adam Leto,one of the many groups behind the plan,said.
“The people of Penrith and the rest of western Sydney won’t need to spend hours travelling to the coast when they’ve got this beautiful asset right on their doorstep.“
Sydney Water managing director Roch Cheroux said that,while the proposal for Sydney’s harbour was exciting,it reflected a greater shift in how the city viewed and used water.
“There are many aspects around water that gives us the possibility to create a much greener city and much more livable city,” he said. “Water is much more than drinking water.”
While he said the challenges of cleaning up Sydney’s waterways were numerous and required collaboration across many sectors,there was no time to start like the present.
“Yes it will take time,but if we never start we will never get anywhere,” he said.
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