The delivery of the project titled "Urban Sustainability and Wallis Lake - A Partnership Approach" will provide the opportunity for three local government organisations, Great Lakes Council (GLC), Greater Taree City Council (GTCC) and MidCoast Water (MCW) to work together to implement practical and tangible projects to ensure long term change.

The community is also set to benefit with opportunities to improve household and business sustainability through improved environmental management.

• The installation of an efficient recycled water system on public playing fields to reduce the use of precious drinking supplies.
• Working with community and businesses to reduce energy and water use likely to lead to cost saving opportunities.
• The restoration of Darawakh Wetland to reduce the release of acid and heavy metals into the Wallamba River.
• Measuring the amount of greenhouse gases emitted from the Tuncurry Landfill site to assist with identifying suitable actions to reduce our carbon footprint and improve the management of our waste.
• Working with staff to improve the environmental performance of Council's everyday operations and activities to protect our highly valued natural environment.
• Identifying practical uses for discarded waste such as oyster shell and establishing a program which utilises this resource effectively.

To ensure the project is delivered successfully and to strengthen the already well established partnership, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been established. GLC, GTCC and MCW came together in March 2009 to sign the agreement which commits each organisation to delivering specific project actions.

The initiative's about changing the way we do things to make better use of resources and potentially reduce costs for the benefit of the whole community, current and future. It's about improving practices to meet the expectations of our residents and lead the way in the protection of our unique environment which is highly valued by our residents and visitors to the region.

This program is an initiative of the Great Lakes Council, MidCoast Water and Greater Taree City Council partnership and is funded by the State Governments Environmental Trust.

 'This project has been assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust.'