Streamwatch is thriving under Greater Sydney Landcare, with a growing network of schools, community groups, and local councils joining the movement to protect our waterways. In recent months, the program has expanded with new participants from Girl Guides and Scouts groups now equipped with Streamwatch kits, training, and support to monitor water quality in their local environments.
But it’s not just students and volunteers who are getting involved. Local councils are increasingly recognising the value of community-led water monitoring. Many council-led bush regeneration groups—already active in restoring and caring for local bushland—are now pairing their on-ground work with Streamwatch. By incorporating water quality testing into their routine activities, these groups are gaining a clearer picture of their waterways, and adding an important new dimension to their conservation work.
In Campbelltown, the Kentlyn Wombats Bushcare team recently participated in a Streamwatch training session at Keith Longhurst Reserve. The session introduced them to the Early Alert Test Kit, and they began testing water quality in an area of the Georges River that flows through endangered ecosystems and known koala habitat. The team is now using Streamwatch to monitor the effects of ongoing riverbank restoration and bush regeneration efforts.
Council environmental staff supervising the team noted that Streamwatch will complement existing monitoring across 14 sites in the Georges and Nepean Rivers and the Bow Bowing–Bunbury Curran Creek catchment. This extra layer of local data will help track changes in smaller tributaries and support decision-making about land and water management.
At the City of Ryde, Bushcare volunteers have been using Streamwatch to test water monthly at 11 sites, with larger twice-yearly “blitz” events testing 33 locations across all 13 sub-catchments in the LGA. According to council staff, “It’s added a new dimension to our Bushcare activities. The data we’re collecting is useful and timely, and it’s a great way for volunteers to engage with the health of their local waterways.”
Streamwatch continues to offer a practical way for people to learn about their local environment and contribute to long-term waterway health.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how to get involved, please contact us at Streamwatch@greatersydneylandcare.org
