TUCKED away in the north-eastern corner of Swan Hill, the Milloo Street Wetlands have largely gone unnoticed for the multiple roles they play in the town’s drainage system, environment and recreation.
The man-made wetlands were first built between Milloo Street and the Murray River in 2005, with Swan Hill Rural City Council’s senior design engineer Robert Lambert involved in the project.
Mr Lambert said the council installed the ponds and aquatic fauna to naturally treat drainage water before it ran into the Murray River.
“All the reeds and things you see in the lakes were all planted there, but at the beginning it was just bare and empty,” he said.
“It takes stormwater out of the main drain and runs it through these reed beds and lakes, and the reeds actually remove the nutrients from the water so that we don’t get any blue-green algae growing in the river.
“That’s the idea anyway — it doesn’t always work, apparently.”
For more on this story, grab a copy of Friday’s Guardian (July 29).
