Pollution solution

THE health of River Gum Creek will receive a boost with the second stage of a $5 million rehabilitation project about to start.
A series of vegetated wetland pools in the creek between Kilberry Boulevard and Quail Court in Hampton Park will improve drainage and enhance water quality by reducing stormwater pollution, Melbourne Water general manager of waterways Chris Chesterfield said.
“The wetland pools will naturally treat and reduce stormwater pollutants in the creek such as nitrogen and phosphorus,” Mr Chesterfield said.
“Stormwater run-off can carry a wide range of pollutants, including nitrogen that causes algal blooms, to motor oil and animal droppings that affect the health of fish and platypus.”
The new wetland pools are expected to remove about 1300 kilograms of nitrogen a year from River Gum Creek.
Construction is expected to take about five months before the whole area will be revegetated with more than 200,000 native plants.
Work on stage one of the project was completed in March this year and involved the construction of new wetland pools between Seebeck Drive and Quail Court.
Waterways Alliance, a partnership between Melbourne Water, Ecodynamics, Fulton Hogan and SMEC, is undertaking the rehabilitation project.