In the late sixties, the City of Salisbury decided to use excess stormwater as the basis for a wetlands area. The City is now recognised as a world leader in the field of wetlands technology, with around 36 wetlands covering 250 hectares and costing more than $16 million.
The first project was the result of stormwater from a housing development pooling in an area of under used land. Council turned the area into a recreational asset known as The Paddocks. The area soon attracted a host of bird life and other fauna, some of which was thought to have left the area.
Council discovered that the slow moving water through the wetlands also allowed most heavy metals picked up off the streets to settle as sediment. Reed beds planted along the banks filtered nutrients, aquatic micro-organisms decomposed organic matter and the action of sunlight and oxygen through shallow water removed most biotic pollutants. Within a few days the stormwater had been substantially cleaned. Stormwater, traditionally regarded as a problem by most Local Governments, is now used by Salisbury in a series of over 40 wetlands to enhance the landscape and create habitat diversity.
In the past ten years, all new residential subdivisions in Salisbury have been required to create wetlands to contain stormwater on site. Large industrial developments have also been encouraged to develop wetlands. Collectively, these initiatives have eliminated flood risk in an otherwise flood prone area and have dramatically increased the City’s wildlife habitat and biodiversity.
Salisbury is now seeking to use its wetlands expertise to eliminate the flow of polluted water into a fragile estuary called Barkers Inlet. The inlet, leading off the Gulf of St Vincent, is vital to South Australia’s fishing industry. It is hoped that an extensive series of wetlands will aid the recovery of the inlet’s ecology and create a habitat for a rich and diverse bird population.
For further information contact City Manager, Stephen Hains, telephone (08) 8406 8212.
