Revitalising Molonglo Ponds
18 July July
Transforming this former sewage sludge
pond into an urban open space will enhance the
sustainability of the
local area and benefit the
ACT community in the long-term.
Infrastructure Finance and Capital Works (IFCW) on behalf of the Parks
and Conservation Service (PCS) of the Environment Planning and
Sustainable Development Directorate engaged
WSP to undertake site
investigations and civil design including, environmental and engineering
services in relation to the
remediation and restoration of the
Molonglo
Former Sewage Sludge Ponds.
The ultimate objective for the area, facilitated through this project,
is to take a
contaminated site and turn it into something with a
tangible benefit for the community that will improve the quality of life
for the residents of the ACT and its visitors. The remediation,
rehabilitation and ecological restoration of the Former Molonglo Sewage
Sludge Ponds and adjoining reserve land will boost the
environment and increase the number of native habitats for ACT
native species.
With the central area of
Canberra becoming an innovation precinct, and the city attracting an
increasing number of people, from interstate and internationally, there
is an urban expansion taking place in both the city and the territory.
With the population predicted to climb from 356,000 at present to almost
double at 589,000 by 2041, the need to enhance recreational spaces,
parklands and lakes has never been greater.
Alex Moody, Senior Environmental Scientist, says, “The rehabilitation of
Molonglo Ponds will assist in the sustainability, prosperity and
richness that exists in ACT. This project will not only help build a new
suburb, but there is a strong focus on the ecological components that
exist, and we are helping threatened species from becoming endangered.”
There is great collaboration between various business sectors to help
with the success of this project. From WSP’s Transport Advisory team,
through to our Environmental groups, we are also working in
collaboration with the landscape architect Oxigen, engaged by PCS, to
create a green space for the community to interact with.
“It is through the collaboration with government, the community and
other key stakeholders that the ecological and environmental outcomes
can be realised,” adds Alex. “There is a strong focus on developing the
flora and fauna as well as respecting and acknowledging the importance
of the Indigenous history of the area. From being a site that was
uninhabitable to designing a future community where people can interact
with the natural environment and swim in the river, the recovery and
rehabilitation of Molonglo will have a huge impact.”
Once the project is complete, Molonglo Ponds will cease to exist.
Instead, the site will be reborn as the Molonglo Special Purpose Reserve
becoming an additional urban open space for the community, which will
facilitate a more intimate and direct connection to the unique flora and
fauna of the ACT.
“Overall, the remediation of the ponds, will transform a legacy
contaminated site, which has the potential to pose a risk to human
health and the environment, into an asset for the local population, and
threatened species unique to the territory.”
--ENDS--
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