The day-lighting of a stormwater drain into a re-established ephemeral stream (swale) has returned a tributary of Moonee Ponds Creek to its natural origins in Napier Park. The ephemeral water course only flows after rain. Filtered urban stormwater is harvested and used to irrigate the remnant stands of Red Gum (Eucalyptus Camaldulensis) within the park. There is only one other such stand of Red Gums in the Melbourne area and their significance is recognised under the National Register of Significant Trees. The irrigation scheme is designed to re-establish soil moisture levels necessary for the health of the remanent vegetation. This is undertaken using a series of infiltration trenches and bores to deliver the water into the deeper soil layers. Our team led all design stages through to construction documentation and inspections for the scheme. We are providing on-going advice for a monitoring program to understand the direct benefits to the remanent vegetation as well as bolstering moisture storage within the soils to improve drought resilience and microclimate benefits during drier hotter months.
Water Sensitive City Outcomes:
- daylighting of an urban waterway
- protection of biodiversity values
- soil moisture banking and microclimate benefits
