Federal Member for Grayndler Anthony Albanese and Marrickville Mayor Sam Iskandar today turned the first sod on an innovative new water play park in Marrickville.

The Marrickville Waterplay Park will be located in Steel Park near the Cooks River. Its objective is to be fun, educational and environmentally friendly, all at the same time.

Water for the park will be harvested from the roof of the nearby Debbie and Abbey Borgia Centre and will be treated and recycled after its use in play features such as interactive fountains.

At the same time, runoff from the park and surrounding areas will be treated before it enters the Cooks River.

“This is going to be a very popular park in summer time, especially for local working families,” said Mr Albanese.

“It will also be a place for school excursions to learn about the water cycle in action.”

Mr Albanese commended the Council for reintroducing local habitat such as saltmarsh which had been lost to the area.

“The Cooks River has undergone substantial improvement in recent years. This park is part of the next step in the river’s rehabilitation,” Mr Albanese said.

“Sam Iskandar and his team at Marrickville Council deserve to be congratulated for making this idea happen.”