Small Creek is one of the big nature projects in Ipswich over the next year.
Works, Parks and Sport Committee Acting Chairperson Cr David Morrison said stage two of the redevelopment at Raceview will begin soon with a budget of $1.9 million.
“Small Creek was once a meandering waterway in Raceview that was turned to a concrete channel in the 1980s. Now, as part of a water quality improvement project, Small Creek is being turned back into a living stream,” he said.
“Stage one has recently been completed and involved the removal of 30,000m3 of soil and the installation of over 150,000 plants. Already the waterway is seeing an abundance of bird life that has returned to the creek, in addition to fish, eels and turtles inhabiting the creek.
“Stage two will commence in the first half of the 2018-2019 financial year, with a budget of $1.9M and will complete the naturalisation of the waterway all the way from Warwick Rd to Briggs Rd, Raceview.
“An additional 100,000 plants will be planted throughout the stage, however recycled concrete will be a more prominent a feature than for the stage one works in acknowledgement of its modified urban environment.
“After the naturalisation of the waterway, 108 tonnes of sediment and over 860kg of nitrogen will be removed from the waterway annually.”
The multi-million dollar transformation of Small Creek is funded through council’s Stormwater Quality Offsets Program, transforming a 1.7km corridor between Whitehill and Warwick roads.
The first two phases have seen native plants put in the ground, new turf laid and shared paths constructed. In total, more than 5,000 new trees and up to 200,000 ground covers and macrophytes (species that grow in water) will be planted.
