Background
As the development of housing in Melbourne’s northern growth corridor continues, encroachment into environmentally significant landscapes is unavoidable. The underlying substrate of this area of Melbourne exhibits volcanic basalt plains. The resulting largely flat landscape, means that average annual rainfalls in the area relies on many significant waterways to move water across these landscapes. Building urban subdivisions in these landscapes, in winter, pose many challenges for the civil construction sector. Not least of which is the control of flow paths, volumes and quality of water as it is discharged off site.
Problem
With increased pressure from urban development, water quality and flow challenges into Lollypop Creek demanded the development of wetland pathways within these riparian zones. During the construction phase, the diversion channels needed to be stabilised in order to ensure that water quality objectives were not compromised.
Solution
In consultation with Melbourne Water and the civil contractor, Statewide River & Stream Management Pty Ltd was engaged to provide an effective rapid response solution.
Vital Bon-Matt HR was applied at a 10% dilution with perennial ryegrass seed to the bed and batters of a top-soiled 10m wide by approximately 200m long stream diversion, 48 hours before heavy rain required the diversion to be opened to avoid significant flooding on the development.
Benefit
Vital Bon-Matt HR was applied rapidly using a Finn T75 hydro seeder to hold the topsoil and seed in place as the diversion filled at peak, the diversion was fully inundated (bank to bank).
When the storm water flows subsided, it was apparent that Vital Bon-Matt HR had held the Stream diversion banks in place to the point where tyre tracks sealed during the application process were still visible and seed was germinating within 7 days in the tread pattern.