| Living in Mandurah
| Congratulations on your decision to live
in Mandurah. As you will already realize, and will appreciate
even more with time, the Mandurah waterways, the canals and
the adjacent wetland reserves provide a wonderful environment
that is central to the unique lifestyle that you now enjoy.
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A wonderful environment such as this deserves
protection. We all share in this responsibility. We outline
in this section a few simple, but important ways that you can
help to maintain the unique lifestyle you enjoy in Mandurah.
Refuse
Building
Check with your building contractors to ensure
that they use a suitable skip for rubbish disposal. Help keep
our streets and waterways clean.
Boating
| If you enjoy boating on
the estuary, store your rubbish securely on board and dispose
of it when you return home.
Occasionally, rubbish or rafts of weed will drift into
canals. As a community service, residents can help by removing
any rubbish or excess weed that accumulates in the canal.
Help keep the canal clean for all users.
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Pollution
Any fertilizers,
oils or other pollutants entering the estuary could harm animals
or stimulate unwanted algal growth.
In the Mariners Cove and Port Mandurah developments,
Cedar Woods Properties Limited has installed pollutant traps to
help filter run-off from roads before it reaches the estuary system.
This certainly helps to protect our estuary, but your help is
also needed. Dissolved materials in the stormwater runoff will
still end up in the estuary. Please don’t allow fertilizers,
oils or other pollutants to enter the stormwater system. Wash
your car on the lawn rather than in the roadway. Don’t allow
fertilizers, oils or other pollutants to run off onto the road.
Please
also ensure that you design your home to stop direct run-off from
entering the canals. And please keep your fertilizer use to a
reasonable minimum.
Grow
a Water-wise, Eco-friendly Garden
- Plant local native plants
- Use a water-saving mulch on your garden
beds
- Use alternatives to lawn
- Minimise water and fertilizer use
- Install a rainwater tank to collect
rainwater from your roof and use it to water your garden
- Minor blemishes on leaves and flowers
are the sign of a healthy ecosystem. Leaf-eating insects
attract many different birds and lizards. Avoid pesticides and
enjoy observing the huge variety of animals that inhabit your
garden
No groundwater bores.
The groundwater aquifer at Mariners Cove, Port
Mandurah and other areas close to the estuary has only a thin,
freshwater lens over salt water. The trees in the area rely on
this freshwater. Therefore, residents of Mariners Cove and Port
Mandurah are prohibited under local government regulations from
extracting water from the groundwater.
Mosquitoes
| As with any
location near water, mosquitoes occur in the Mandurah area.
They are a natural part of the ecosystem. Their larvae feed
on rotting plant matter in the water and both the larvae
and adults provide food for many species of animals.
Only adult female mosquitoes bite as they
need a blood meal to produce their eggs. Male mosquitoes
are harmless.
Care needs to be taken as mosquitoes can
transmit Ross River virus and other diseases. If you are
outdoors at dawn or dusk, remember to wear long, loose-fitting
clothing and use mosquito repellent to cover exposed skin.
Standing water in gutters, plant pots,
pet bowls or buckets can provide breeding sites for mosquitoes.
Help beat the mosquitoes by checking and removing potential
breeding sites around your home. |
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The local
authority conducts regular monitoring of mosquito numbers
in the region and has an ongoing spraying programme that
is aimed to reduce mosquito populations. The Health Department
of WA is currently undertaking a runnelling project around
the Peel-Harvey Estuary which has an objective of reducing
mosquito breeding areas. |
This project involves the creation of small
channels that allow inundated areas to drain more frequently thereby
avoiding the potential for mosquitoes to breed in these areas.
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