Melbourne Water’s Wetlands
World Wetlands Day (2 Feb) marks the signing of the Ramsar Convention in Iran, 1971, which is designed to protect wetlands of international importance.
Did you know that two of our wetlands are listed under the Ramsar Convention?
Why wetlands are so valuable
- Wetlands play a vital role in protecting the health of our rivers and creeks from pollution.
- Wetlands act as natural filters that soak up and break down pollution in stormwater runoff before it gets into local waterways.
- Stormwater run-off from suburban streets and gutters is the main polluter of the city’s waterways because of what it picks up and carries into our rivers and creeks.
- Everyone can help prevent pollutants entering our waterways by not dropping rubbish, picking up after your dog and fixing oil leaks in your car.
- Building raingardens is a simple and easy way of reducing stormwater pollution. We’re encouraging the uptake of raingardens and our aim is to have 10,000 built across Melbourne.
Melbourne Water acts to prevent wetland pollution
- We have constructed 50 wetlands as part of our $60 million Nitrogen Reduction Program to improve the health of Melbourne’s rivers, creeks and Port Phillip Bay.
- These wetlands have been specifically constructed to remove pollutants such as nitrogen from stormwater, and are usually located next to rivers and creeks that require water quality treatment.
- The wetlands will help reduce the amount of nitrogen entering Port Phillip Bay, and Melbourne Water is on track to achieve its goal of reducing the nitrogen entering the bay by 100 tonnes a year by mid-2010.
- The 48-hectare Dandenong Creek Wetland being constructed in the City of Knox will be Victoria’s biggest man-made wetland and it will:
- prevent a massive 28 tonnes of nitrogen a year from polluting waterways
- trap about 5,000 tonnes of suspended solids
- trap 9 tonnes of phosphorus
- We are planting 1.6 million plants at the Dandenong Creek Wetland.
Wetlands – a haven for wildlife
- Wetlands also create habitat for thousands of birds, fish and other animals.
- The Ramsar-listed wetlands at our Western Treatment Plant in Werribee attract some 270 species of birds.
- Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands, another Ramsar site, has recorded more than 190 bird species, including 25 international migratory birds.
See also:
- The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands website.