Pollution message takes to the streets

Two animals symbolic of Broome have been painted on a footpath at the entrance to the town’s airport as part of a public campaign to cut pollution entering Roebuck Bay through stormwater drains.

The Roebuck Bay Working Group has used a threadfin salmon and dugong as the stars of the awareness drive that will be stencilled on pavements throughout the community by 30 local identities.

Shire president Ron Johnston and Roebuck Bay Working Group project manager Kandy Curran launched the project recently.

Ms Curran said she was confident the campaign would have a positive impact after an enthusiastic response from people invited to participate.

“A good example was a long-term resident who asked if he could bring along his daughter and grandchildren,” she said.

“Three generations of this family painting a stencil outlining why it is important to look after Yawuru land and sea country was absolutely sensational.”

Ms Curran said a poster showing all the participants in the project would send a “keep Roebuck Bay clean” message to the Broome community.

“This message is to keep fertilisers, garden waste, sewage, pollutants, car wash detergents, rubbish, animal manure and pool water out of Broome’s stormwater drains,” she said.

The poster and stencils make the link between nutrients in stormwater becoming food for blue-green algae in Roebuck Bay, which have been worsening over the past decade.

Lyngbya blooms have been linked to stormwater run-off and polluted groundwater from the townsite and industry.

Mr Johnston said painting stencils on footpaths beside drain inlets was a great reminder to keep pollution out of the stormwater drains, as they almost all drain into Roebuck Bay.