Cost-effective Strategies to Reduce Nitrogen and Phosphorus Emissions in an Urban River Catchment

Emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus from various sources into urban waterways cause algal  blooms and generally degrade delicate aquatic ecosystems. Perth’s Canning River is a prime example,  and yet protecting it from these emissions has been a policy challenge for the last 50 years. A mix of  incentives and regulation is needed to improve the cost effectiveness of abatement actions.

The attached  study investigated abatement actions for the Canning  Catchment. It outlines an approach that can be widely applied to  other catchments, and adapted as new technologies  for nutrient abatement become available.