The project between the City of Albany and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) aims to improve the quality of water flowing into Albany’s Oyster Harbour.
At the west end of Centennial Park, the 1.1 hectare site was developed into a biofiltration wetland, with a $620,000 contribution by the State Government and $620,000 by the City of Albany.
DWER Aquatic Science Manager Malcolm Robb said Yakamia Creek showed first-hand the on-ground improvements that can be achieved through partnerships between the local and State Government.
“These partnerships can benefit local environments and communities,” Mr Robb said.
“As water levels in Yakamia Creek rise through winter, the native sedges, shrubs and trees planted in the wetlands basin will work to remove nutrients and sediments flowing through the creek and into Oyster Harbour.
“The wetland provides multiple benefits – improving water quality, enhancing local amenity and boosting flood mitigation.
“Oyster Harbour is widely used by the community for recreational and commercial purposes - from fishing for fun to supporting local jobs through tourism and the farming of oysters and mussels,” Mr Robb said.
A further 150 meters upstream of the wetland has now been upgraded to provide further benefit to the water quality of the creek with planting starting this month.
Austin Rogerson, Senior Civil Engineering Officer at the City of Albany, was excited to be able to further expand on the wetland project.
“City of Albany are keen to integrate smart water design in amongst our recreational facilities,” Mr Rogerson said.
“Upgrading the drain upstream from the wetland will improve public use of the area and further improve water quality flowing into our harbour.”
As well as cleansing the water, the new wetlands provide a beautiful water feature for the sporting precinct. A raised walkway through the middle provides a vantage point for the created ecosystem. The basins also create extra capacity to compensate large flows, mitigating floods.
This project is supported by the City of Albany, the State Government’s Royalties for Regions and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
