Lucy Galvin said that while the river once "looked like an aquarium", it has been left choked by sewage, farmland runoff and low flows.

Her party, which took control of City Hall for the first time at May's local elections, is now seeking to revive the waterway.

The Greens will look to build on a symbolic motion they tabled last year which saw the river recognised as a living entity with the right to flow and be free from pollution.

Ms Galvin said her group was now looking to turn this motion into a formal charter.

Lucy Galvin (Image: Supplied)

She plans to set up a strategy group bringing together "all users of the river" - from scientists and swimmers to neighbours and nature groups - in........

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