Autumn is when Orange looks its best, however one resident said she feels let down by the condition of Blackmans Swamp Creek.
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Lorraine Ashbrooke hosted visitors from the mid-north coast last week and took them on a tour.
However, when the Autumn Drives brochure directed them National Avenue, Mrs Ashbrooke said she was shocked at the state of the creek, with “stagnant” looking water.
“We saw magnificent views along the way and our visitors enjoyed their time here, but it was just a let down,” Mrs Ashbrooke said.
“You don’t notice it until you start showing off the city. It’s not obvious from the road.
“I would like it improved so that it’s aesthetically pleasing, leave some reeds in there for filtration if need be.”
While disappointed by the creek’s appearance, Mrs Ashbrooke said Orange City Council staff clearly cared for their parks.
“Our parks are wonderful and council does a great job,” she said.
“I’m so proud of this city, and I appreciate council have a finite amount of money and they have a hell of a lot of work to do with the roads.”
Orange City Council’s spokesman Nick Redmond said there were 190 open spaces in the city, including sporting facilities, reserves, playgrounds plus creeks like Blackmans Swamp Creek.
“The creek is one of the key components of Orange’s storm water harvesting scheme,” Mr Redmond said.
“By encouraging water plants such as bull-rushes and other native water plants, the flow of the water is intentionally slowed to let sediment settle.
“The action of sunlight purifies the water and the end result is a habitat for native frogs and birds such as water hens to breed.”
Mr Redmond said on-going community education about waterway management was a priority for park managers.
“Large stands of reeds and bull-rushes are now the norm that people are learning to enjoy and appreciate,” he said.
He said barbecues and nearby areas were cleaned weekly.
“Residents can always play their part by joining in annual clean-up days, or making sure the barbecues in the park and left tidy when they leave,” Mr Redmond said.
“They can also be the eyes and ears of the council, reporting any particular areas that need work so that problems such as invasive weeds can get attention.”