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Environment > Biodiversity
These catchments are the largest parcel of land managed by Power and Water. Power and Water recognises the value of the catchments as a significant conservation reserve with a diverse fauna. The Darwin River Dam catchment also contains the Northern Territory's largest body of permanent fresh water. Manton Dam management is the responsibility of Parks and Wildlife; Power and Water takes a closed catchment approach to protect the water quality in Darwin River Dam.
Power and Water has been working with the Department of Infrastructure Planning and Environment (DIPE) to develop maps to provide a scientific basis for managing the Darwin River Dam and Manton Dam catchments.
A management plan will be developed, in conjunction with the DIPE and other stakeholders, to ensure long-term water quality and yield from the dam while protecting conservation values. Specific issues to be addressed cover weeds, feral animals and bushfires.
Ilparpa Swamp Ilparpa Swamp is located immediately south of Alice Springs, near Heavitree Gap. It is an ephemeral waterbody, and until the mid-seventies was characterised by claypans, stands of Coolibah trees and other remnant vegetation.
The bird life at the Waste Stabilisation Ponds is spectacular, with many rare species gathering around this body of water.
Birdwatching groups will need to request permission to access to the Ponds.
Land in the vicinity was used as a nightsoil disposal site until the town was sewered in the early sixties. With the commissioning of the Ilparpa Sewerage Ponds, the practice was discontinued. However, as the town grew, overflows of treated effluent from the ponds were released into Ilparpa Swamp. This has created an artificial wetland with permanent water dominated by bullrushes (Typha domingensis) and mosquitoes, and represents a potential public health risk.
A management plan has been developed with Alice Springs stakeholders through a local group, the Ilparpa Swamp Rehabilitation Committee. The plan contains a number of short term through to long term actions designed to mitigate the risk and eventually achieve rehabilitation of the swamp.
Power and Water has made a commitment to fund these over the next three years.
Dugong and Sea Turtle Study
Power and Water sponsored a study by Biomarine International of dugongs and sea turtles near Channel Island Power Station (Darwin Harbour). The study focused on observing the behavior and movements of these animals in the area. For more information, download the Dugong and Sea Turtle Report. (pdf, 1,745 kb)
Information presented in the report adds to the existing knowledge of dugongs and sea turtles in Darwin Harbour. This project provides the basis for further work on these species in Darwin Harbour.
As part of the 2003 Environmental Awards, Power and Water awarded an environmental research grant to the Charles Darwin University for a bio-monitoring project in Darwin Harbour, using corals as environmental data archives.
In corals, the structure and composition of calcium carbonate in annual skeletal growth bands reflect the environmental conditions in which the coral grows. For that reason, the analysis of coral skeletal composition can provide a cost-effective method of monitoring water quality, as well as providing comparative data on past pollutant levels.
The innovative corals project is in line with Power and Water’s objectives for managing wastewater discharges into Darwin Harbour. A successful project outcome will provide environmental managers with a powerful long-term management tool for Darwin Harbour.
For more information, contact Environmental Science at Charles Darwin University.