page_title: Swan River (Western Australia)
section_title: Environmental issues
hierarchical_section_title: Swan River (Western Australia) / History / Environmental issues
caption_attribution_description: Matilda Bay on the Swan River, Perth, Western Australia.This image is now available for use as an iGoogle theme here.
context_page_description: The Swan River is a river in the south west of Western Australia. Its Aboriginal Noongar name is the Derbarl Yerrigan. The river runs through the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia's capital and largest city.
context_section_description: The river has been used for the disposal all kinds of waste. Even well into the 1970s various local councils had rubbish tips on the mud flats along the edge of the river. Heavy industry also contributed its share of waste into the river from wool scouring plants in Fremantle to fertiliser and foundries sited in the Bayswater – Bassendean area.  Remedial sites works are still ongoing in these areas to remove the toxins left to leach into the river.
  During the summer months there are problems with algal blooms killing fish and caused by nutrient run-off from farming activities as well as the use of fertilisers in the catchment areas. The occasional accidental spillage of sewage and chemicals has also caused sections of the river to be closed to human access.  The river has survived all this and is in relatively good condition considering on-going threats to its ecology.
  In 2010 the Western Australian government imposed restrictions on phosphorus levels in fertilisers due to concerns about the health of the Swan and Canning river system.
  The Perth Water location on the river adjacent to the City of Perth is a popular place for viewing the annual Australia Day fireworks, with over 400,000 people crowding the foreshore, Kings Park and boats on the river.
caption: Matilda Bay on the Swan River, with Mount Eliza and the Perth skyline in the background
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