This project involved the installation of a temporary sandbag weir in an artificial drain on a private property near Portland, in far south-western Victoria. The temporary weir was constructed using sandbags made from geo-textile material placed to form a weir wall and overflow sill within the existing drainage channel. The trial sandbag structure is designed to function as a drainage regulation weir, where water flowing out of the drainage channel is retained to promote pooling of the backwater into the natural wetland depression located directly upstream. In this instance, the landholder was interested in restoring the natural wetland area – noting that this area had become much drier since the construction of the drain – as the wetland area itself was considered to be of marginal value for agricultural purposes.
The temporary sandbag weir was installed in early June, prior to the above average July rains in that district, being completed by the landholder, members from a local landcare group and Nature Glenelg Trust. The weir structure has been designed to recreate a 4 hectare wetland area by restricting drainage outflows by up to 60 cm within the existing drainage channel. NGT’s Lachlan Farrington put together a short summary of the action, which can be viewed below:
Temporary trial weir structures provide both Nature Glenelg Trust and the landholders we work with, with an inexpensive and low risk approach to trialing wetland restoration measures. Once the functionality of the structure and its wetland restoration impact have been assessed by both parties – under real conditions – a permanent structure can be designed and installed according to a set of agreed criteria. In this way, trial structures can provide a valuable (no-obligation) first step, along the path to providing lasting, self-sustaining and effective wetland restoration solutions in the region.
Trial structures are not necessary at every site, but are a good option for people who are tentative about making the leap to a permanent structure, without having the opportunity to see what the potential inundation effect will be first under a range of settings and conditions. If you are interested in having a wetland restoration trial undertaken on your property, please contact us here.
This Case Study is the fourth in a series to illustrate wetland restoration in practice, delivered through Nature Glenelg Trust’s Wetland Restoration Program on Private Land and funded by the Australian Government.
- Signed, sealed and delivered – critically endangered fish returned to their homes February 27, 2023
Meet the southern purple spotted gudgeon, a little native fish that is critically endangered in Victoria, and has been missing in action from much of the state. In fact they were thought to be regionally extinct until some were found in a lake that was destined to be drained, in the Kerang region in 2019. ...
- Mainland Forgotten Fauna Part 15: Eastern quoll insights from the mainland long ago February 27, 2023
It has been a while since our last foray into the stories of forgotten mainland fauna (see part 14 here), but this month we are back with more interesting insights into the eastern quoll (or native cat as it was then known) on the mainland before its extinction. I have two interesting items to share ...
- The tale of two freshwater crayfish February 27, 2023
Join us for an informative session in Renmark, where you’ll hear hear from scientists (including NGT’s Aquasave aquatic ecology team) about how yabbies are responding to the current flooding and the future of Murray crayfish in South Australia.We will hear from:Professor Michael Geddes, who has passionately worked with yabbies and Murray Crayfish for over 40 ...
- Look who’s been captured on camera at Kurrawonga; A base for researchers and wildlife alike February 27, 2023
Things have been ticking along nicely at Kurrawonga – NGT’s beautiful brown stringybark (Eucalyptus baxteri) and rough-barked manna gum (E. viminalis ssp. cygnetensis) woodland property. This 100 acre woodland is on the edge of Nelson and the Lower Glenelg National Park, in the far south west corner of Victoria and was very generously donated by ...
- NGOs are Australia’s diverse and growing environmental ‘cavalry’ – and we stand together February 27, 2023
Now that NGT has just ticked over 11 years since we began operations, it is becoming clear that we can’t really call ourselves the “new kids on the block” anymore. To look back and see just how far we have come since January 2012, here are newsletter stories from our 5th Anniversary, and our 10th ...
- Grasslands in the cultural spotlight February 27, 2023
Native grasslands are very special places, chock full of biodiversity, but are now often highly degraded after a long history of grazing, clearance, drainage, and the list goes on! Historically native grasslands were places rejuvenated by fire, with first nations people managing the land through fire to maintain its quality.
We’ve been working on a project ...
- World Wetlands Day 2023 – Why is it time for wetland restoration? February 27, 2023
World Wetlands Day was on the 2nd of February and the theme for this year is worth sharing, because it speaks so clearly to one of our core purposes at NGT. Yes, we couldn’t have picked a better theme!It’s time for wetland restorationWhile we often produce materials of our own for communicating with the community ...
- Making sense of urban flooding in and around Melbourne – what can history tell us? February 27, 2023
Over the past several newsletters, we have talked quite a bit about flooding and its impacts in urban areas. These discussions occurred in the wake of the major rainfall events throughout last year. If you missed those stories, you can read them by following these links:January 2023: flooding triggers discussion about development of Australia’s floodplains
November ...
- Want summer flowers and beneficial insects? Plant a native ‘Christmas bush’. February 27, 2023
Is your garden in need of some brightening up over the summer months? Do you want to have more butterflies and beneficial insects in your garden? Then why not get to know the native Christmas bush!Christmas bush (also called ‘native box’ or ‘sweet bursaria’) has the botanical name of Bursaria spinosa – pronounced ‘Burr-sar-ree-ah’ ‘spin-oh-sa’ ...
- Grey-headed flying foxes drop in for a feast in Warrnambool February 27, 2023
In the dark of night, they announce their arrival with the leathery snap of their wings. Their wings span up to one metre! If you startle them accidentally, visions of Dracula may briefly flit through your head as they wheel through the sky. It’s that time of year again, when our fruit trees are visited nightly ...
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