Coastal planting guide for Broome

Hoorah! Roebuck Bay Working Group has produced an inspiring booklet on local coastal plants.

Coastal Gardens – A Planting Guide for Broome provides advice on growing a waterwise garden that benefits your wallet and Broome’s coastal waters. The book is online and suitable for smartphones.

https://roebuckbay.org.au/p…/coastal-gardens-web-version.pdf

The local coastal plants (endemics) in the book, thrive in Broome soils and climate. Most are cyclone resistant, require less water than introduced plants and resistant to tropical pests. Local coastal plants have defence mechanisms to cope with common pests, thereby require fewer pesticides than introduced species. Less pesticides used in your garden, means less chemicals entering Broome’s coastal waters via roadside stormwater drains.  The book also includes the plants to avoid – with many of the weeds we see in Broome, escaped garden exotics.

The booklet was launched on February 8^th, 2019 with books available from Rangelands NRM office at Lotteries House, 257 Cable Beach Road, Broome. Gold coin donations welcome 🙂

This project is funded by State NRM with support from Royalties for Regions and Rangelands NRM through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program.

Sewerage plant overflows

During heavy rainfall in late Jan 2018, wastewater overflowed from the Broome South Waste Water Treatment Plant into Roebuck Bay for three days. The ponds overflowed again into the Bay mid February 2018. The Shire is water quality testing tor public health impacts from the contamination.

Its been a phenomenally wet start to 2018 with Broome recording its wettest January of all time (941mm). Unfortunately, the heavy rain and wind associated with the low, has bought down a lot of trees and worst of all, the Broome South Waste Water Treatment Plant overflowed into Roebuck Bay, again.  Watch a short film by the ABC on the overflow of wastewater and read the stories below…

• Waste Water Plant overflows into Roebuck Bay ABC Jan » 
• Broome wettest January in History West Australian Jan »
• Sewage in Roebuck Bay ABC Jan »
• Warning from sewage overflow Shire of Broome Jan »
• Recent floods and wastewater Water Corporation Jan »
• Water Corporation treating Yawuru Roebuck Bay Marine Park as sewage pond  Environs Kimberley Feb »

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Trail healing community and bay

If you live near the McMahon walkway, you will receive a nice surprise on your gate or porch  Fridge magnets have been delivered with tips to keep the walkway and stormwater drain clean and green. Roebuck Bay Working Group, Broome Shire and Parks and Wildlife Service Yawuru Rangers helped hundreds of young people in the area plant a bushtucker trail beside the walkway and drain.

More good news, Broome Shire Council, a partner in the project, has repaired the broken sections of footpath, litter and garden waste in the drain have been removed and the new plants reticulated and mulched. Please ‘do your bit’ to keep the McMahon walkway clean and green 

Watch a wonderful short film about the project – Bushtucker trail heals community and bay »

Meeting re seeping wastewater ponds

Water Corp are providing an information session on projects to reduce wastewater seepage from Broome South Wastewater Treatment ponds. The Roebuck Bay Working Group handed a letter to Minister Davies on Sept 28, 2016 to request the relining of all holding ponds (primary, secondary, tertiary) at Broome South Waste Water Treatment Plant – as a high priority – to halt the seepage of nutrients into Roebuck Bay.

The presentation is Tuesday Nov 29, 5.30-7.30pm.  This is an important issue for Roebuck Bay’s water quality and marine ecology, so ask any questions you have at the presentation.