Now that Dubbo Regional Council takes in both Wellington and Dubbo this statement is more relevant than ever.

Over the past couple of years it has amazed me the number of residents who have heard the call to arms and are organising themselves to get out and clean up our river.

I feel a great sense of pride in our region when our crew of volunteer citizens band together and manually clean up tonnes of waste from the Macquarie River.  

These residents don’t just complain and expected government to fix it - they get down and dirty themselves.

From humble beginnings community activism and a passion for having a clean healthy river has led to other spectacular successes such as the partnership with Inland Waterways Rejuvenation Association (IWRA) and Work-For-The-Dole provider, Sureway Employment which has brought the River Repair Bus and Back to Work programs to the region which is helping improve river health and is having positive social impacts on our region.

All points to the obvious.

Our community cares greatly for our river.

That has led me to ask how council can further enhance our river and make the Macquarie great again.

Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs) are a simple yet novel idea that has only been a policy of Council since the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In very simplistic terms, they are collection of large cages that gather rubbish from storm water drains just before it hits our river.

Not all of Dubbo’s stormwater network has these GPTs and so far they haven’t been a significant priority of the Council.

Wellington, who are now part of our regional team also has issues with stormwater pollution we can help fix with GPTs.

Given that our community has clearly shown a deep care for our environment and the river, I have proposed a plan for these works to be completed within three years.

Part of this will include the option of supercharging our grant application process while also including a better public river care education message.

I want our residents to know that their council is with them in returning our river to good health.

I want our people to be able to enjoy river recreation and fishing.

I want the Dubbo Region to be good neighbours and not literally send tonnes of waste down the Macquarie to other towns.

This is a new environmental program that will deliver tangible results that is actually relevant to local councils were locals will be able to see first-hand real positive outcomes.

A big thank you must go to the volunteer crew from the Inland Waterways Rejuvenation Association who have been the driving force in raising the community’s awareness of this important local issue.

It’s through their determined practical work the Macquarie River now has a bright future.