Tree-planting partnership sprouts five-year deal

A community partnership which has seen more than 5000 trees planted in the Brisbane area during the past two years has been extended for a further five years.

Water and sewerage service provider Queensland Urban Utilities will continue to work with members of the Bulimba Creek Catchment Coordinating Committee (B4C), a non-profit community catchment group working to protect and bring back the natural environment in Bulimba Creek, one of the largest creek catchments in Brisbane.

The partnership, established in late 2010, was an Australian-first between a water utility and an environmental group.

More than 5000 trees have been planted by Queensland Urban Utilities and B4C over the past two years.

Queensland Urban Utilities’ Chief Executive Officer, Louise Dudley, said the partnership with B4C had been a mutually beneficial one, with both organisations achieving the shared goal of positive environmental and community outcomes.

“Since partnering with B4C, we have carried out important ecological restoration throughout Brisbane, with a particular focus around our Bulimba Creek work site that runs through Wishart, Macgregor and Eight Mile Plains,” Dudley said.

Queensland Urban Utilities is investing $51.7 million in the upgrade of the Bulimba Creek Trunk Sewer, which currently services approximately 20,700 ha of properties to the south-east of Brisbane City, involving more than 62 km of sewer pipes. The upgrade, due for completion around March 2013, will increase the capacity of the sewer system by more than 40% to cater for predicted population growth in the area.

Dudley said: “Queensland Urban Utilities is committed to quality outcomes for our customers and the community. We are proud to extend this partnership with an organisation like B4C that is dedicated to the protection and enhancement of our natural environment.

“Our staff have joined with local volunteers to plant more than 5000 trees during the past two years and we look forward to being part of future community events.”

Queensland Urban Utilities CEO Louise Dudley and Scout Cub Julia Ralston at the Carindale Recreation Reserve community tree planting day last year.

B4C’s Catchment Manager, Wayne Cameron, welcomed the extension of the partnership.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Queensland Urban Utilities for a further five years as we both work towards achieving a positive future for our wildlife, water and people,” he said.