Marrickville Council

Marrickville Council is continuing its leadership and commitment to improve the Cooks River by  joining with seven Sydney councils to sign an alliance for the continued environmental management and preservation of the Cooks River.

Joining Marrickville in signing the Cooks River Alliance for three years from July 2011 are Ashfield, Bankstown, Canterbury, City of Sydney, Hurstville, Rockdale and Strathfield councils. The alliance will guide each council to meet the objectives of  environmental management with a focus on the Cooks River Catchment.

The Cooks River, which runs from Botany Bay through south-western Sydney and receives rainfall from portions of 13 local government areas, has been degraded over many years through vegetation removal, artificial channel modification and the dumping of sewage, stormwater, and industrial and domestic waste.

In recent years, it has been joint-council initiatives under the Cooks River Foreshores Working Group and the OurRiver project which have held the responsibility of improving the quality of the Cooks River by working together and collaboratively with local communities.

With the conclusion of the three-year OurRiver project funded by the NSW Environmental Trust's Urban Sustainability Program, member councils have signed a memorandum of understanding for the Cooks River Alliance.

Mayor of Marrickville, Councillor Fiona Byrne, said the Alliance is a wonderful initiative for the eight councils surrounding the Cooks River.

"By working with surrounding councils, we can hopefully continue to improve the quality of  the Cooks River and the health of this catchment system,' Clr Byrne said.