Oaklands stormwater harvest & re-use project

5 December 2016

Oaklands Wetland has transformed the disused former driver education centre site into a beautiful new habitat where people can appreciate the year-round open water and connect directly with nature. Together, Oaklands Wetland and Oaklands Estate Reserve, extending to the south, are one of the City of Marion’s most highly valued recreational and biodiverse destinations. The local community and visitors can take a walk or go for a run along the paths, relax with a picnic, have a barbecue, watch the birds, or explore the wetland.

Source: M Mullan

But the award-winning Oaklands Wetland is so much more than this – the wetland itself is part of an integrated water recycling system helping to keep reserves green across the City of Marion, reducing the use of mains water, and protecting natural groundwater reserves. A small portion of the water flowing in the adjacent Sturt River is diverted into the wetland where natural processes clean it. The wetland covers an area of 2.2 hectares and follows a meandering route as the flows split in the centre of Oaklands Reserve to preserve two mature gums.

Cleaned water is injected into the deep aquifer under the wetland for storage over winter. In summer, the stored, treated water is pumped out to irrigate council reserves through a dedicated underground pipe network. Eleven Council reserves are currently provided with approximately 75 ML of treated stormwater over the summer irrigation season. At the ultimate development of the scheme, it will provide up to 200ML p.a. of stormwater for re-use on irrigation of some 31 Council reserves replacing mains or groundwater use, or creating new irrigated areas.

More than 85,000 new plants were planted within and adjacent to the wetland. This means the 12‑hectare site is a significant green space that is cooler than the surrounding urban area in hot weather while also providing habitat for native plants and animals.