Council success in bringing life back to Kings Meadow Rivulet

The once heavily polluted Kings Meadow Rivulet has been rejuvenated from a "dead zone" with no aquatic life through the intervention of the City of Launceston and other agencies in recent years.

The rivulet begins in Kate Reed Reserve and flows through Kings Meadows, the Punchbowl Reserve before arriving at the North Esk River and eventually the kanamaluka / Tamar Estuary.

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To refresh the rivulet, Council and other organisations put in place sediment and erosion controls, improved the management of trade waste, planted new riparian zones and undertook a sewerage intrusion investigation project.

The Council also collaborated on community education projects focused on urban waterways, including Tamar NRM's Source to Sea program, the Kings Meadows ABCDE Learning Site and the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery's Big Day of Science.

The announced success coincided with World Environment Day on June 5.

City of Launceston Manager of Parks and Sustainability Kathryn Pugh said these various environmental projects were making a positive difference to Kings Meadows Rivulet.

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"What we saw in past years is that there were no macroinvertebrates in Kings Meadows Rivulet at all," Ms Pugh said.

"What we have found since these various improvements have been made is the return of aquatic life to the rivulet from almost nothing three years ago."

Macroinvertebrates are the foundation of ecosystems, playing critical roles in healthy waterways and the sustaining of other plants and animals.

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Recent surveys of Kings Meadow Rivulet have shown snails, caddisflies, fly larvae, midges, gnats and dragonflies in the area.

"In our autumn sampling round, we have found some of these really positive results," Ms Pugh said.

"We're excited about it and we want the community to know that the work we and they have been doing is starting to pay off."

City of Launceston Acting Mayor Matthew Garwood said it was pleasing to see such a positive outcome for the rivulet.

"There was a time when it was a little depressing to come down here, but to see the return of macroinvertebrates is really encouraging," Councillor Garwood said.

"Kings Meadows rivulet is a great example of a waterway which was once uncared for and - thanks to the hard work of many people in our community - is slowly but surely returning to a healthier state."

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