Client: Strathfield Municipal Council (2003/05)
Sinclair Knight Merz, with Landscape Architects were contracted by Strathfield Municipal Council (SMC) to undertake detailed design and construction documentation for proposed works for the stabilisation and restoration of sections of the Cooks River, within Freshwater Park, Strathfield. This section of river is located within the Strathfield Golf Course and extends from Centenary Drive approximately 520m downstream. The work has arisen out of a regional Cooks River Riverbank Restoration Program initiated by the Cooks River Foreshores Working Group to implement water quality and riverbank management strategies from the Cooks River Foreshores Strategic Plan.
The project aims to prevent erosion, improve water quality and contribute to the restoration of the Cooks River through ecologically sensitive modification and revegetation of the riverbanks.
The outcomes of the proposed works include:
- To stabilise the riverbanks and prevent / minimise further erosion;
- To improve water quality and ecological values;
- To improve aquatic and riparian vegetation and fauna habitat;
- To enhance the visual amenity of foreshore open space;
- To protect adjacent facilities and properties from potential future erosion (Strathfield Municipal Council 2002).
- The proposed works would involve a number of measures to arrest the erosion that is presently occurring within the river and improve the stability of the riverbanks and bed. These include:
- Battering of riverbanks and stabilisation with appropriate materials, including appropriate native vegetation, geotextiles and natural rock where required; and
- Reinstatement of pool and riffle sequence to increase channel roughness and energy dissipation.
Full DA reports, detailed design and specifications were produced and consultation with Council, the Golf Club and local residents was undertaken.