Wetlands keeping Moreton Bay clean

Ninety constructed wetlands are helping to filter out thousands of tonnes of pollutants before they hit waterways in Moreton Bay every year.

The wetlands use a series of ponds, sediment basins, vegetated drains and native plants to treat stormwater and reduce sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants.

Treated water then flows out to creeks and waterways downstream, resulting in a healthier ecosystem.

The success of Council’s constructed wetlands was highlighted at last year’s Stormwater Queensland Awards for Excellence.

Beech Drive Park Wetland in Morayfield and Burpengary’s Crendon Street Park Naturalised Channel projects each picked up an award.

“As our City grows, it is important that we do all we can to keep Moreton Bay’s waterways a healthy ecosystem for wildlife to thrive,” Mayor Peter Flannery said.

“The work of our Drainage, Waterways and Coastal Planning Team has been first class in striving towards this goal with the roll-out of these constructed wetlands across the City.”

Beech Drive involved 28,000 new plants, changing a degraded channel and ponds into a wetland system, improving water quality, stabilising erosion and enhancing biodiversity.

The project is designed to remove some 7600 kg of sediment, 41kg of nitrogen, 13kg of phosphorus and more than 90 per cent gross pollutants reduction each year.

Crendon Street diverts stormwater from a concrete-lined drain into a vegetated channel with sediment basins and habitat ponds, improving water quality and creating an urban space.

Around 20,000 new plants were used, helping remove more than 8000kg of sediment, 43kg of nitrogen, 14kg of phosphorus and more than 90 per cent gross pollutants each year.

“Through the creation of wetlands projects like these, we are not only improving our City’s waterways but creating an ecosystem which allows wildlife to flourish,” the Mayor said.