The wetland in Kensington Wama/Kensington Gardens Reserve, completed in 2022, is the centrepiece of Burnside Councils $7.4M revitalisation project at the park. It has transformed Beckes Lake from an artificial pond to a catchment wide asset that will improve stormwater runoff from the Wattle Park catchment.
The wetland aims to improve stormwater quality via a range of biological and physical processes, including the cycling of nutrient and breakdown of organic pollutants by microbes, loss of harmful pathogens by UV sterilisation, the uptake of nutrients by plants, and entrapment (sedimentation) of fine particles. Second Creek and Karrawirra Pari (River Torrens) are the direct beneficiaries of this stormwater treatment system, with significantly cleaner urban water flowing downstream from Stonyfell Creek into these watercourses, which will ultimately reduce pollutant loads entering Gulf St Vincent.
It is expected that the wetland’s water regime of will mimic that of natural wetland systems on the Adelaide Plains. Water levels will fluctuate over different time periods, rising after rainfall-driven inflows and dropping over the periods between inflows. This variation will allow native vegetation adapted to this regime to flourish and for effective water treatment due to cycling between aerobic and anaerobic processes in the sediments. An extended detention zone allows water to rise 200mm above the normal water level during periods of higher inflows, where it can be detained for several days, mitigating downstream flood impacts and allowing time for sediments to settle and wetland plants and microbes to treat the water before it flows to Stonyfell Creek. The design of the wetland allows for a future Aquifer Storage and Recovery Scheme.
Additional biodiversity and water quality outcomes are expected from the removal of exotic trees and weeds from Stonyfell Creek, which runs alongside the wetland, and revegetation with local native plant species, returning it to a more naturalised state.
The project included significant revegetation with the planting of more than 10,000 new plants, including more than 40 trees, 1,450 shrubs, 4,300 groundcover species and 4,800 indigenous “biozone” plantings to complement the remnant SA Blue Gums found within the reserve.
During the establishment phase the new plantings will be irrigated with recycled stormwater from the Eastern Regional Alliance (ERA) scheme. All plants were sourced under Council’s strict local provenance requirements and are not expected to require irrigation in the long term.
An enhanced ecosystem and habitat for a number of native animals, water bird life and macroinvertebrates has been established at the Kensington Wama wetland and Stonyfell Creek.
Facilitated by the project team, the local Kensington Gardens Preschool were involved in conceptualisation of outdoor classrooms, with an emphasis on the role of the wetland and Kaurna’s connection to Country.
Design & construction
- Southfront – civil design
- Aspect Studio – landscape architect
- Aboriginal Contemporary Arts – artist consultant
- Camco – lead construction contractor
- Consolidated Landscape Services – landscape contractor
- RAW SA – landscape services
- Integrated PM – project manager
Funding partners
- $3 million from the Federal Government – $3 million
- State government (Open Space grant program) – $850,000
- Green Adelaide (2019-20 Water Sustainability Grants scheme) – $215,904
- Tennis SA/Tennis Australia – $81,000
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