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Turrella Weir Fishway

A fish-friendly fishway is being installed at Turrella Weir to reduce the barriers to fish passage. A large number of streams were studied to recognize the ones that required instream structures, like fishways, to improve conditions for fish.

The Wolli Creek location at Turrella Weir was identified at No 17 in the list of those locations most needing fish-friendly structures installed.

What sort of other creative devices, like the fishway, can you imagine could aid the local flora and fauna in their lives?

Background to the project

In August 2004 the NSW Department of Primary Industries ( Fisheries Management ) on behalf of the Sydney Metropolitan Catchment Authority and funded by the Natural Heritage Trust Program undertook a study titled "Reviewing and Restoring Fish Passage in Urbanised Waterways - Sydney Catchments" This project was originally designed to identify instream structures that disrupt fish passage with the former Southern Sydney Management Board Area.

This study assessed instream structures across 39 local government areas

and identified 356 instream structures with 161 structures requiring remediation. Structures identified included 63 weirs, 41 road culverts, 14 other culverts, 9 bed control structures and 8 causeways.

Remediation options

1. Basic management / maintenance ie cleaning
2. Modification of structures
3. Complete removal and replacement of the structure

This study then rated 50 of the worst sites for treatment and recommended the Wolli Creek Site as the 17th Priority Site suggesting the existing weir be either removed or construct a fish way over it.

In 2006 Sydney Metro CMA and the Department of Planning granted both Canterbury and Rockdale Councils a combined grant of $50,000 to undertake the design and installation of a fishway at the Wolli Creek Weir. The 2 councils are also putting in $15,000 worth of cash and in-kind support.

Canterbury Council was responsible for advancing all planning approvals for the structure while Rockdale Council worked on advancing the design stages of the project. In this regard a concept design was completed by the Consultant Fishway Consulting Services.

The latest news is that the Structural Design is complete and Rockdale Council is now preparing the Tender Brief to go out to contractors for construction. It is hoped that pending on the availability of the contractors and fine weather as it is too dangerous to work in Wolli Creek during rain that the work may be completed by July 2008.