Urban Utilities has been exploring opportunities to improve wet weather management at Cannery Creek in the Northgate/Banyo catchment, through nature-based solutions.
What we want to achieve:
- Reduce uncontrolled on property wet weather overflows
- Manage risk to public in waterways to protect current uses
- Deliver better environmental outcomes
- Deliver all these with lower community costs
We have explored two possible solutions: a traditional ‘grey infrastructure’ approach of building larger, more expensive pipes and a nature-based solution in the form of constructed wetlands that would naturally treat the overflow water before entering the creek.
The nature-based approach would achieve the same customer overflow, public health and environmental outcomes as the traditional solution but at a significantly lower cost.
Community Involvement
In 2019 Urban Utilities formed a Community Planning Team (CPT) made up of 23 self-nominated participants.
Collectively, the group represents a diverse demographic cross-section of the local area.
Our aim was to involve the community early in the process to help us design the most effective and efficient solution to wet weather overflows into Cannery Creek.
We also engaged external subject matter experts, covering topics such as sewer network upgrade options and costs, public health risk assessments, hydrodynamic modelling and water sensitive urban design.
The CPT also worked with landscape architects and stormwater treatment specialists to co-design the creek corridor they would like to see.
After several workshops and site visits in 2019/20, the CPT put forward a recommendation that Urban Utilities pursue a nature-based solution in the form of constructed wetlands.
Overall, the CPT provided overwhelmingly positive feedback on the engagement process, feeling they had been listened to and given a valuable opportunity to contribute to the recommended solution.
The Urban Utilities project team found the project similarly rewarding, achieving a clear understanding of the community’s needs and expectations.
The recommendations from the CPT have informed the development of the concept plans for the Cannery Creek Sewer Upgrade.
Developing the design
In February 2021 the project gained endorsement by the Urban Utilities board to progress to the next stage of works, best summarised as detailed design.
An Urban Utilities project team then scoped out the works to confirm the cost and method of the project delivery.
Over the 12 months to June 2022, Urban Utilities and our delivery partner Fulton Hogan have progressively been completing many of the on-site investigations, such as land surveying, soil/underground condition analysis and water quality sampling.
These investigations have run in parallel with work to secure land access, planning and environmental approvals, which are key to the project proceeding.
For more information on the upgrade project, please contact the project team on 1800 573 215 or email networks.community@fultonhogan.com.au
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