Bundoora Park dam and wetlands system

The Bundoora Park dam and wetlands system works by collecting, filtering and reusing local stormwater. Fifty per cent of the stormwater from the Mt Cooper housing estate (next to Bundoora Park) is collected and channelled into underground pipes that flow into the Bundoora Park dam. Before reaching the dam, the stormwater passes through a gross pollutant trap, which works like a giant sieve to filter out large pieces of litter such as bottles and plastic bags, then runs through the park’s wetland system, which is made up of five smaller dams and a number of grassy creek beds. Each dam slows down the flow of the water, allowing sediment to settle to the bottom. The grassy creek beds trap more contaminants as the water passes through them. With each inflow of stormwater, the treated water moves to the next dam via the creek beds, until it finally arrives in the Bundoora Park dam, well-filtered and suitable for irrigation use.

Due to the large storage capacity of the dam, water can be stored for months and used for irrigating the golf course when needed. Any overflow (during periods of high rainfall) can be released into the Darebin Creek.

To irrigate the golf course, water from the dam is metered (measured) and transferred to a smaller dam, lower in the system and closer to the golf course. If more water is needed for irrigation, Darebin City Council also has a licence to draw water from the Darebin Creek’s high flows for irrigation.

A ‘Toro’ computerised, water-efficient irrigation system monitors the amount of water released for irrigation. The system is controlled by sensors which can choose a targeted area to irrigate, or shut off irrigation when it is raining.

This project is a part of the holistic approach (an approach that considers all the things that affect something and all the things it is affected by) of water cycle management that Council has adopted. It achieves all the following aims:

• Potable Water Substitution – an equal amount of harvested water is used in place of potable water.
• Demand Management – golf course fairways have been converted to a type of turf that has low water needs.
• Efficiency – the irrigation system and watering regimes for the golf course have been improved and Council abides by Melbourne’s permanent water saving rules.
• Flood Mitigation – stormwater is collected and filtered through the dam and wetland system to slow its flow into Darebin Creek, mitigating (reducing) flood risks.
• Receiving Water Habitat Protection – in the past, during storms, stormwater from surrounding areas washed litter, hydrocarbons (oils) and other pollutants into the Darebin Creek, which is home to abundant wildlife such as fish, frogs and birds. The Bundoora Park dam and wetlands system reduces the amount of stormwater flowing into the creek and makes it much cleaner. This reduces erosion (loosening of soil on creek banks) and improves the quality of water in the creek, which is beneficial to the plants and animals that live in and around the creek.

The Bundoora Park dam and wetlands system consists of:

• Stormwater collected from Mt Cooper housing estate and channelled into underground pipes.
• A gross pollutant trap that removes large items of litter and debris.
• A wetland system made up of five small dams and grassy creek beds to filter out smaller contaminants.
• A large (49 megalitre capacity) dam for storing stormwater for use in irrigation of the golf course.
• An intuitive irrigation system that responds to dry conditions and shuts off when it is raining.
• An overflow system that channels excess treated stormwater into Darebin Creek.

Early 1990s
The dam system was constructed.

1997-98
The Mount Cooper housing estate was developed. An agreement was reached between the Urban Land Authority and Darebin City Council to harvest stormwater runoff from the Mount Cooper Southern Stormwater Catchment which includes approximately 50 per cent of the estate.

2000
The gross pollutant trap was installed and the wetland filter system was completed.

2007
Works to enlarge the dam from its original 8 megalitre capacity to a much larger 49 megalitre capacity commenced.

2010-11
The golf course turf was converted to warm season grasses.

2010
The Bundoora dam and wetlands system was a finalist in the “Savewater” awards.

• About $435,000 was spent on enlarging the dam.
• The gross pollutant trap and wetlands treatment system were funded by the developer of the Mount Cooper housing estate.

Darebin City Council spends around $2000 each year on maintenance of the system pipes, gross pollutant trap, and removal of litter. Inspections and monitoring of the wetland system is performed regularly. Weeds are controlled in all areas of the system and Council’s Parks and Gardens team manage and monitor the irrigation of the golf course.

Bundoora Park is a large, popular recreational reserve in the north-west of Darebin. The park features an 18-hole golf course, free barbecues, children’s playgrounds, an educational urban farm, wildlife park, community gardens, historical buildings, wetlands and an abundance of native flora and fauna.

The Bundoora Park dam and wetlands system allows stormwater to be stored and used for irrigation year-round, keeping the golf-course and parklands in good condition in all seasons, benefiting the community. Running the system costs a lot less than it would to irrigate the grounds with tap water. This saves Council and rate-payers money and helps preserve the community’s drinking water supply.

This project benefits the environment in the following ways:

• The Mount Cooper housing estate generates about 100 megalitres of stormwater each year, which, if not harvested by the Bundoora Park system, would flow directly into the Darebin Creek unfiltered and possibly at a high enough flow-rate to cause erosion of the creek banks. Most of this water is instead now captured, treated and reused by the system.
• Any excess treated stormwater that is stored in Bundoora Park dam can be released from the lower irrigation dam into the Darebin Creek to provide an environmental flow when needed (eg. to flush out pollutants, or boost water levels during droughts).
• The system uses gravity instead of pumping to move the stormwater through its pipes, wetlands and into the dam. This saves electricity and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• The enlarged stormwater storage dam, as well as its banks and surrounding areas, provides habitat (homes) and water for wildlife that live in the park. The dam may even offer a refuge for threatened species during drought periods.

Many animals and insects such as platypus, fish, frogs, birds, native water rats and water bugs live in and around the Darebin Creek and our other local creeks, waterways and wetlands. The Bundoora Park dam and wetlands system reduces the amount of stormwater entering these waterways which flow into the Yarra River and eventually into Port Phillip Bay. It helps to make sure the water that does enter the waterways is relatively clean. The wetland system also provides much needed habitat for wildlife in Bundoora Park.

Darebin City Council acknowledges the Wurundjeri people as the traditional owners and custodians of this land and pays respect to their Elders past and present.

About $200,000 was provided by the Victorian State Government for this project in 2006, through the Stormwater and Urban Water Conservation Fund.

The developer of the Mount Cooper housing estate provided the gross pollutant trap and wetlands water treatment system, as well as two additional gross pollutant traps that were installed within the estate.