World Wetlands Day, celebrated today, reminds Canberrans of the importance of wetlands to our environment.

Wetlands improve the quality of stormwater; provide habitat for native plants and animal species; are important cultural sites; and offer beautiful places for recreation, Shane Rattenbury, ACT Minister for Water, Energy and Emissions Reduction, said.

As part of the ACT Government’s Healthy Waterways Program, 22 wetlands have been created since 2017 to remove harmful pollutants from stormwater before they flow into lakes and ponds and contribute to problems like blue-green algal blooms.

“These wetlands have created biodiversity hubs that are removing nutrients from our stormwater while providing habitat for local species and providing beautiful and popular places for enjoying the outdoors,” Mr Rattenbury said.

Evatt Wetlands, for instance, built in 2018-19, protects water quality for humans, animals, and plants downstream of Lake Ginninderra. It treats water diverted from a 55-hectare residential catchment, and has a capacity of 1.87 megalitres. It is designed to intercept, on average, 25 kg of phosphorus, 84 kg of nitrogen, and 17 tons of suspended solids (sediments and organic matter) each year heading to Ginninderra Creek.

Three more Healthy Waterways projects are underway, including building a wetland in Belconnen, restoring a section of Tuggeranong Creek, and using water from a constructed stormwater pond to irrigate playing fields in Kambah.

“I acknowledge and thank all Canberrans including those from local communities, park care groups and catchment groups who work tirelessly to protect, conserve, and enhance the ACT’s wetlands,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“Everyone can play a role in protecting the ACT’s wetlands by joining a local park care or catchment group to care for a local wetland, keeping your kerbside gutter clear of leaves and lawn clippings, and avoiding fertiliser and detergent run-off into stormwater systems.”