Rain Gardens
Monash Council has built rain gardens, gross pollutant traps, infiltration trenches and bioswales throughout the municipality to collect and clean rainwater from urban catchments before it flows into streams and the surrounding environment.
Rain gardens use a process called bio-filtration, where plants and soil filter out pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, oils and heavy metals from rainwater and storm water. This improves the water quality entering our local creeks and the bay. It also reduces the volumes of storm water runoff, reducing erosion in our waterways.
Gross pollutant traps are structures that use physical processes to trap solid waste. They mostly remove non-biodegradable large pollutants.
Infiltration trenches are an excavation filled with porous material, allowing for run-off collection. They dissolve pollutants and provide water to plants, where vegetated, during dry periods.
Swales are linear depression channels that provide stormwater collection and conveyance. They can be grass-lined or more densely vegetated and landscaped.
Rain Gardens in Monash
Glen Waverley North Reserve Pavilion
Rain runs off the pavilion roof into rainwater tanks, and a series of swales run around the building to take any overflow of water. Water then crosses a bluestone ford in the road and ends up in the small retarding basin and stormwater system.
For other information about the reserve's facilities, please see: Glen Waverley North Reserve.
Location
Glen Waverley North Reserve
5-11 Madeline Street, Glen Waverley 3150
Eaton Mall
Eaton Mall uses a combination of two passive tree-pits under decks, three retaining wall planters, and one rain garden.
Location
Eaton Mall
Eaton & Chester streets, Oakleigh 3166
Electra Reserve
Rain runs off the roof of the community centre into tanks and then overflow runs into a swale. The lower car park runoff is collected in a series of swales and bio-retention channels. The upper car park runoff is directed into rain gardens and falls down the mount, directed along the swale and eventually enters the drainage system.
For more information about the reserve's facilities, please see Electra Reserve.
Location
Electra Reserve
21A Electra Avenue, Ashwood 3147
Napier Park Frog Bog
A frog bog has been constructed at Napier Park. Water runs off surrounding grassed areas and the car park, travels along a swale, and collects in the pond before entering the creek.
For more information about the park's facilities, please see Napier Park.
Location
Napier Park
16 Torwood Avenue, Glen Waverley 3150
Wellington Reserve Community Centre
Rain runs off the centre's roof into tanks, and then overflows into swales before finding its way into the drainage system.
For more information about the reserve's facilities, please see Wellington Reserve.
Location
Wellington Reserve
36-42 Mackie Road, Mulgrave 3170
Holmesglen Valley Bio-Filter Wetland
Design and construction of the bio-filter is a joint project between Monash City Council and Melbourne Water to establish a native landscaped seasonal wetland and rain garden in Holmesglen Reserve, as part of the Living Rivers and Offset Programs.
The wetland is planted with a dense cover of wetland plants and covers an area 3,000 square metres, with a further 1,500 square metres planted with dryland plants.
The wetland retains stormwater and bio-filters it before it enters Gardiners Creek. It also provides habitat for native birds and other wildlife and improves amenity for the Holmesglen area.
For more information about the reserve's facilities, please see Holmesglen Reserve.
Location
Holmesglen Reserve
Warrigal Road & Power Avenue, Ashwood 3147
Marianne Way Rain Gardens
The Marianne Way Retail Strip was beautified with the construction of a series of rain garden trees ending in a rain garden bed.
In June 2009, Council received a Keeping Australia Beautiful Award in the Water Conservation Award category for this project.
Location
Marianne Way, Mount Waverley 3149
Atherton Road Streetscape Enhancement
A series of rain garden tree pits were constructed along Atherton Road to beautify the streetscape, and to improve quality and reduce volumes of water draining into the stormwater system.
The tree tips (grates) are specially designed to allow water to drain from the footpaths into the tree root-bed.
Location
10-29 Atherton Road, Oakleigh 3166