Minimising Alteration of Aquatic Ecosystems

The University of Newcastle protects the wetlands and connected waterways associated with Callaghan Campus through a combination of landscape planning, water-quality controls and site-based environmental management. These measures are designed to limit physical disturbance, pollution and changes to aquatic habitats while supporting the long-term health of local ecosystems.

Planning for Callaghan's waterways and wetlands

  • Callaghan Landscape Management Implementation Plan
    The Callaghan Landscape Management Implementation Plan (CLMIP), finalised in 2012, provides a site-specific framework for managing the campus's bushland, wetlands and watercourses. It guides how ecological impacts are assessed and managed when activities affect vegetation within or beside a watercourse, lake, wetland or other water body.
  • Managing physical changes to waterways 
    For works near aquatic areas, the CLMIP considers whether an activity could alter local hydrological regimes or affect habitat used by threatened fauna. Management measures include sediment and erosion controls, stormwater-runoff controls, bank-stability protection and rehabilitation of disturbed vegetation.
  • Protecting aquatic habitats and biodiversity 
    Where works may affect aquatic flora or fauna, the CLMIP requires separate assessment by a suitably qualified person, with specialist aquatic-ecology advice considered where relevant. The plan also promotes regeneration using locally native species and targeted weed control to maintain habitat quality and ecological function.

The Environmental Sustainability Policy complemented this planning framework by committing the University to protect waterways, wetlands and coastal areas, prevent pollution of water systems and aquatic ecosystems, and conserve campus wetlands and aquatic ecosystems. The policy took effect on the 8th of December 2022 and remained in force during 2025.

How the plan is put into practice

The University combines landscape management, infrastructure standards and operational controls to reduce the risk of harmful changes to aquatic ecosystems.

  1. Water-sensitive design and stormwater management 
    University design standards use water-sensitive approaches such as bioretention, rain gardens, stormwater filtration and rainwater capture and reuse. These measures help slow and treat runoff, reduce sediment movement and protect the quality of receiving waterways.
  1. Construction and development controls 
    The University's Hydraulic Services Design Standards, Version 2.0 (November 2024), set minimum requirements for stormwater and subsoil drainage across University buildings and facilities. Discharges must meet applicable water-quality and discharge-rate requirements, and developments or refurbishments that affect runoff must incorporate erosion and sediment controls.
  1. Wetland restoration and weed management 
    The CLMIP contains dedicated action plans for two freshwater wetland areas at Callaghan. These include staged weed-control targets, native revegetation and long-term management actions tailored to the condition of each wetland. For the more degraded Wetland 2 area, the plan identifies extensive revegetation to help restore a more natural native environment.
  1. Ongoing environmental management 
    The University's Operational Environmental Management Plan Guidance Document, dated July 2025, identifies biodiversity and landscaping, hazardous chemicals, contaminated land, effluent and trade waste, and waste management among the environmental aspects managed at Callaghan Campus. It requires site-specific procedures and management plans to be implemented through day-to-day operations.

These measures help reduce physical disturbance to waterways, limit pollutants and sediment entering aquatic systems, and protect the plants, animals and habitat values that support healthy freshwater ecosystems.