New wetland planned for Blackmans Swamp Creek

The 2017/18 draft budget includes a proposal to close a gap in Orange’s award-winning stormwater harvesting scheme.

Of all the waterways that feed into the stormwater harvesting scheme, only Blackmans Swamp doesn’t have its own wetland.

Orange Mayor John Davis OAM said Orange residents will be pleased that the stormwater scheme is expanding.

WATER VIEWS : Mayor John Davis believes the new wetland won Blackmans Swamp Creek will be just as popular as the wetland in Ploughmans Valley.

"The wetlands have a crucial role in taking the water that comes from suburban areas during a storm, and cleaning it up by letting it move slowly through an area with lots of plants that’s exposed to lots of sunlight," Cr John Davis said. "Wetlands like this have been built in Ploughmans Valley, Somerset and the Brooklands areas."

"In the residential areas around the Brooklands and Somerset wetlands, it's been good to see how nearby residents have swapped their old colourbond back fences with a wire fence they can see through or they've removed the fence altogether. People love to look out over these constructed wetlands.

The $1 million allocation ($200K next year and $800K in 2019/20) will see work get underway on a new wetland closer to the stormwater storage ponds.

"After the creek leaves town and is boosted by occasional flows from the eastern Orange stormwater channels, the water would reach the wetland where it could accessed and pumped to the storage ponds.

"Currently there’s only a small weir that allows for pumping only after heavy storms. The new wetland will even out the peaks as well as deliver cleaner water," Cr Davis said.

There’s also an amount of $350K over two years for some rehabilitation to the banks of the creek.

These funds will let rural sections of the creek be stabilised and fenced to keep livestock away.