Increased monitoring of north Torquay construction sites
To help reduce pollutants entering the Karaaf Wetlands, we have increased our inspections of north Torquay housing construction sites in 2023.
Council officers are now visiting building sites in the area weekly to identify any issues, particularly management of silt being washed off sites, and to take action if needed.
Our focus on educating has resulted in fewer issues being found on our inspections compared to 18 months ago. We also are seeing reduced levels of housing construction at the moment.
Our officers are looking for issues such as:
- Litter control (includes checking for lids on skip bins and making sure bins aren’t overflowing).
- Mud/silt on road (placing of crushed rock on building sites helps provide protection).
- Discharging into stormwater system.
- Paths being blocked by fences or other items.
If you see any building site issues please report them. Call Council on 5261 0600 or lodge an online request.
Gross polutant trap cleaning
In June 2023, Council cleaned 22 gross polutant traps located near constructed wetlands and at the end of stormwater lines around the shire.
The image below shows a gross pollutant trap at Taylor Park, Torquay, prior to cleaning.
Constructed wetland maintenance update: The Dunes
Maintenance work was undertaken in April/May 2023 at the Dunes constructed wetland.
This included cleaning of pits (including the outlet pit pictured) to ensure the system is working effectively, as well as weed management works to control the Typha that has been growing at the site.
This constructed wetland is still under the management of the Dunes developer, who completed this important maintenance work as requested by Council.
It is due to be handed over to Council to manage in December, following an audit and the completion of any outstanding actions.
Maintenance work near Karaaf Wetlands
In the last few months of 2022 we completed these works on Council owned land to the east and south of the Karaaf:
- Cleaned up loads of dumped rubbish along Pt Impossible Road and the bank of Thompson Creek
- Mapped, fumigated and closed down the rabbit warrens as rabbit activity was causing ground disturbance and vegetation damage
- Treated problem weeds such as the Tall Wheat-grass (recommended for treatment by Dr Doug Frood as it is potentially invasive in estuarine wetland vegetation), Mustard Weed, Thistles and African Boxthorn.