Everything that goes down your stormwater drains could end up in the sea. Some drains empty straight into the gullies and bush around the neighbourhood, while some filter over the grass. So if you clean your car on your driveway or roadside, the detergent may go straight into our streams and beach – Yuk. This does happen! Not so flash for the struggling fish and all the little bugs they depend on for food. The same applies to plastic rubbish on the roadside, which can end up in the sea. Have you heard about the huge area of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean? Most of it came from the land once. The August 2010 resident survey uncovered a high degree of concern about water quality. The Bush Society has been busy carrying out riparian (waterway) planting over the last few years to try to reduce the erosion in the park gullies. We also have been advocating for more engineering solutions to help prevent silting and erosion.
If you have a stream in your section, your help in weeding and planting the stream will improve the quality of the stream environment. Free help is available via Kaipatiki Project with stream care – weeding and planting advice. restoration@kaipatiki.org.nz
