Presentation to Friends of Moonee Ponds Creek on opportunity to reverse the unplanned outcomes of a 40 year out of date project originally intended to "improve" creek flow at Westmeadows.

1. Opportunity for rectification of
inadvertently cutoff meander.
Tony Smith • Friends of Moonee Ponds Creek • 3 June 2016

2. • Moonee Ponds Creek
was naturally a chain of
ponds that meandered
across its floodplains
• Urbanisation increases
runoff from 10% to 70%
• Engineers decided
speeding flow would
reduce flood risk but
have been proven wrong
• Can’t restore meanders
that separated childhood
back paddock from
adolescent schoolyard
• But other candidates
near and far
• Lets make a start with
low-hanging fruit

3. Researching the Friends of Moonee
Ponds Creek submission to the recent
Water for Victoria policy process, called
Julie Law to refresh knowledge of issues
on the upper creek while scrolling
satellite map on computer. Spotted
something worth further investigation
via the 1981 MMBW report, leading to
being able to include in submission:
There is a big cutoff meander in
Westmeadows dating from 1976 which
could easily be reversed as a test case.
(right) With respect to “flood channel
(...) cut across the neck of the meander
loop” the 1981 MMBW report admits:
The combined effects of erosion and
deposition have caused the abandonment of
the meander loop, even during low flow. The
flood channel is now the waterway and the
meander loop is almost completely silted up;
in fact, the only time that flow now occurs
within the loop is during a flood, which is
virtually the opposite of what was planned!
(their exclamation mark) Forty years
on there appear to be no new
impediments to rectification.

4. Context of MMBW 1980 quote on previous slide:
The Board of Works submitted plans for the improvement
works to the Broadmeadows Council who forwarded them
to the Department of Urban and Regional Development for
approval, The Board proposed that the creek should be
cleaned out, the banks battered to a 1 to 1.5 slope, and that a
1.2 m wide 0 6 m deep concrete conduit should be installed
along the centre-line of the creek to convey low flows. The
installation of a lined centre channel was proposed in order
to reduce recurring maintenance expenditure; such a
channel would have prevented weed growth, and minimised
erosion and siltation. The Board also proposed that the
meander loop opposite Riddell Street should be cut off to
improve the flow and that the creek should be realigned
opposite Eyre Street to facilitate the construction of a
proposed road extension (next slide).
The plans were rejected by the Department of Urban and
Regional Development who considered the “concrete lining”
to be environmentally unacceptable. The Department
suggested that alternative solutions should be investigated,
and allocated a sum of $15 000 for the purpose. The matter
was referred to the Joint Steering Committee, that had been
recently formed. The Committee, utilising the grant from
the Department of Urban and Regional Development,
appointed a consultant to “provide detailed open space and
recreation planning services within a study corridor
bounded by Margaret Street, upstream to the Westmeadows
area along Moonee Ponds Creek”. The consultant presented
a report to the Committee in 1976. The report made a
number of recommendations concerning the treatment of
the creek, some of which were not acceptable to the Board
of Works. As a result the report has never been publIshed.
Following discussions by the Steering Committee, the
Board of Works submitted a revised plan for the
beautification of Moonee Ponds Creek between Pascoe
Street and Lyons Street. The major revisions included:
gentler 1 in 3 batters; a relatively narrow unlined invert;
and the retention of the meander loop opposite Riddell
Street, although it was proposed that a flood channel
should be cut across the neck of the meander loop. The
new plan was approved by the Department of Urban
and Regional Development, and work commenced on
the project in late April 1976. The cost of the project,
$86 124, was met by the Department of Urban and
Regional Development.
Unfortunately, as predicted, erosion and siltation have
been recurring problems and a considerable amount of
money has had to be expended on maintenance. Erosion
and siltation were particularly severe during the Easter
storm of 1977. The combined effects of erosion and
deposition have caused the abandonment of the
meander loop, even during low flow. The flood channel
is now the regular waterway and the meander loop is
almost. completely silted up; in fact, the only time that
flow now occurs within the loop is during a flood, which
is virtually the opposite to what was planned!
Bank erosion from overland flow has been a recurring
problem along the improved section between Lyons
Street and Pascoe Street. It has proved difficult to
establish a good grass cover on the banks along some
reaches and rills have developed. Once initiated the rills
tend to be self-perpetuating and bank repair work has
been necessary at several points to prevent more serious
damage occurring.

6. Where it is today
Broadmeadows “Deviation” Road

7. or on Moonee Ponds Creek Trail

8. • Only walkable entry
from Riddell Street
• Overview from where
Johnstone Street turns
into Shadforth
• Maps of meander,
subcatchment and
property boundaries
• Pictures from inside
and around meander
• Where to from here?

11. View back up

12. View from 1945.melbourne

16. Eastern escarpment on private lots
zoned Public Purposes - Recreation

17. Or is it? Titles office not so clear.
Cycling through adjacent titles.

18. Or is it? Titles office not so clear.
Cycling through adjacent titles.

19. Or is it? Titles office not so clear.
Cycling through adjacent titles.

20. Or is it? Titles office not so clear.
Cycling through adjacent titles.

21. Or is it? Titles office not so clear.
Cycling through adjacent titles.

23. Floodway formed by
scraping into bedrock

24. with pools for Frog Lady’s tadpoles

25. but soon a flood cut its own channel

30. Anna had to look for Goshawk

31. Drains either side of track in from
Riddell St put water in old channel

34. • In 40 years no-one has sought to reverse an outcome
which was “the opposite of what was planned!”
• Gavan at Melbourne Water and Damien at Hume
have informally indicated interest in the potential
• Needs a proposition to which officers can respond
• Likely to need a planning process including
consultation with neighbours and interest groups
• Too early to more than suggest weir across floodway
• Get plan on the books then push for it to be funded

35. Questions?