ABOUT 395 cubic metres of sediment has been removed from the Redan Creek Wetlands to allow for increased flows along the Yarrowee River.<\/p>\n
This removal has improved the wetlands’ natural filtration capacity, helping to reduce pollutants while supporting biodiversity and urban greenspace.<\/p>\n
A second phase of sediment clearing is scheduled for the 2026\/27 summer period.<\/p>\n
That will be followed by landscaping and bank stabilisation and the construction early next year of a gross pollutant trap, which would capture more than 70 per cent of rubbish entering the river system.<\/p>\n
The federal government ($1.89 million) and City of Ballarat ($502,420) have funded the wetlands project.<\/p>\n
Deputy mayor Cr Ben Taylor said the works would go a long way to enhancing the area.<\/p>\n
“We’re custodians to the river health, and part of the works here today is really important to make sure we get the river health right, so we can bring back the native fauna that we have in this beautiful space,” he said.<\/p>\n
He said the wetlands were a catchment for the city.<\/p>\n
“The effectiveness will be seen pretty well straight away,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We’ll start to see the water coming through to be a better quality as it works through the wetlands here and then goes downstream.”<\/p>\n
Ballarat MP Catherine King said the entire project was a great opportunity to improve the river.<\/p>\n
“To make sure downstream we actually get some platypus back here, which would be an amazing thing to have in our community,” she said.<\/p>\n
Justin Horne, City of Ballarat’s executive manager of environment and waste, said the project was really important, especially for the animals that exist in the waterway.<\/p>\n
“So, in particular, frogs and platypus… One day we’ll see the platypus return,” he said.<\/p>\n
“The frogs in particular are a really good barometer of how healthy a waterway is, so they’re really impacted by the pollutants.<\/p>\n
“Hopefully through doing these works, we’ll be able to see an increase in those two animals in particular.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ABOUT 395 cubic metres of sediment has been removed from the Redan Creek Wetlands to allow for increased flows along the Yarrowee River. This removal has improved the wetlands’ natural filtration capacity, helping to reduce pollutants while supporting biodiversity and urban greenspace. A second phase of sediment clearing is scheduled for the 2026\/27 summer period. […]<\/p>\n