Elsey Road Raingardens and Tree Pits

Raingardens and tree pits are special types of garden beds that are designed to collect and filter stormwater run-off from hard surfaces such as streets, driveways, paving and gutters.

The Elsey Road raingardens and tree pits are low-lying with high edges surrounding them, letting stormwater pool on the surface before slowly soaking through to the plant roots and soil layers.

Each raingarden is planted with native plants and grasses that are able to survive long periods of time without rain, and inundations (floods) at other times. These plants have deep, fibrous (hairy) and spreading root systems, that are good at taking up water and nutrients that pass through the soil. Each tree pit supports one central native tree that will grow over a long period of time.

A layer of large pebbles on the surface of each garden and pit helps to trap litter and sediment (small particles of soil and contaminants).

Below the raingarden and tree pit surfaces, layers of soil, sand and bioretention media (a special soil mix designed to filter out contaminants) work to clean stormwater. Layers of sand and gravel also help drain water to the lower levels. Larger particles are generally trapped in the top layers, with smaller particles trapped in the lower levels. At the lowest level is a layer of crushed rock laying over a slotted pipe, where the cleaned, filtered water can exit the raingarden or tree pit and drain to the nearby Edgars Creek, a tributary (smaller creek that leads into a larger one) of Merri Creek.

The Elsey Road raingardens and tree pits consist of the following layers:

Top layer:
Deep rooted plants consisting of kangaroo paw, sedges, club rush, hollow rush, mat rush and cushion bush for raingardens. A single, central native tree for the tree pits.

Middle layers:
Boulders, gravel mulch, bioretention media.

Bottom layer:
Crushed rock laying over a slotted drain connected to stormwater system.

2014
The Transforming Darebin competition winner was announced. The community was invited to have input into the design of their new water-sensitive streetscape in partnership with Darebin City Council and Melbourne Water. Construction of the raingardens and tree pits started.

2015
Construction and planting of the raingardens, tree pits and other streetscape features was completed.

$150,000 was spent on the Elsey Road raingardens and tree-pits ($75,000 from Darebin City Council and $75,000 from Melbourne Water) with additional in-kind (not charged) support from Darebin City Council staff and Fleming’s Nursery.

A two-year maintenance contract has recently been completed for the Elsey Road raingardens. Maintenance includes replacement of plants and substrate (soil and gravel) over the next decade. Residents of Elsey Road have also volunteered their time to remove weeds and litter from the garden beds.

Extensive community consultation was carried out at all stages of the project. Residents were involved in the design and will be involved in the ongoing maintenance of the raingardens and tree pits.

In 2014, City of Darebin residents were asked by Council staff to nominate their street for a sustainable and community friendly revitalisation, focusing on a variety of social and environmental benefits. The ‘Transforming Darebin’ program was developed as part of Council’s ‘GreenStreets Streetscape Strategy 2012-2020’. The goals of the program were to encourage community input into streetscape renewal and educate residents on the benefits of street trees and plants and Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD). One street from each ward in Darebin was selected, with Elsey Road residents receiving the redesign for the Latrobe Ward.

Residents were involved in consultation during the project, from inception to completion. This provided positive social outcomes for the community, including a sense of stewardship for their street and neighbourhood. Residents also benefit from improved amenity of their street.

Many animals and insects call our local creeks and waterways home, such as the platypus, rakali (native water rat), water bugs, frogs, fish and birds (such as the sacred kingfisher). Our waterways provide food and habitat for these and other animals and plants.

When it rains, contaminants washed from our streets end up in the waterways. These contaminants include those we can see, such as plastics and cigarette butts, but also include those we can’t see, such as oils, detergents, bacteria and pesticides. Contaminants pollute our waterways, resulting in a direct negative health impact on our local aquatic wildlife and plants.

Raingardens clean, filter and separate water from contaminants, before the water enters our creeks, rivers and ultimately the ocean. Raingardens slow down the speed that stormwater enters our waterways, reducing problems of erosion (loosening of soil) on creek banks. Slowing the speed at which water enters our waterways helps to improve our overall stream water quality.

You can find more information on building your own raingarden at home here.

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.

Artwork infographics developed and supplied by City of Melbourne. For other examples of WSUD Urban stormwater treatment projects visit the City of Melbourne Urban Water interactive map here.

Melbourne Water – Living Rivers Program

Fleming’s nursery