The control of Canberra’s urban waterways with concrete and steel was central to the colonial project of building Australia’s capital city. Concrete “stormwater drains” divert run-off into human-made lakes. Creeks emerge from bushland before disappearing into underground pipes. In the early 2000’s, worsening water quality problems in Canberra’s lakes and downstream Murrumbidgee River prompted government investments in constructed wetlands, rain gardens, monitoring, research, and other activities to improve the health of urban waterways. 

Today, Sullivans Creek and its tributaries in Canberra’s Inner North predominantly remain concreted. A 2023 survey found widespread support among residents for re-naturalisation of the creek, particularly to support biodiversity, liveability and well-being, water management, and climate resilience. A 2024 government commissioned plan developed approaches and practices for co-design with Ngunnawal Traditional Custodians and Country alongside options for projects in specific locations throughout the catchment. Yet, there is no clear pathway to fund or finance those projects. 

Across Australia and globally, the proliferation of new urban waterway naturalisation projects reflects growing recognition of their public value. This CWEEP research program seeks to address the often-cited financial and economic barriers to realising those benefits by undertaking non-market valuation studies, financial modelling, and other applied research with the objective of enabling the complete naturalisation of the 20+km of concreted drains across the Sullivans Creek catchment. Since Sullivans Creek runs through and is directly affected by the ANU campus, this program provides an opportunity for ANU staff and students to connect with and contribute to caring for their local waterway.