Healthy waterways are important for making sure Merri-bek is a beautiful and comfortable place to live. They support wildlife and our climate and create peaceful places for people to connect with nature.

A way to improve the health of our waterways is through water sensitive urban design or WSUD. We use WSUD for better rainwater management and to protect our local creeks from pollution.

We’re planning new wetlands and water-sensitive urban design features at 2 locations in Merri-bek:

Glenroy: new wetlands at Jacana Valley, which includes Fran Street Reserve and Moonee Boulevard Reserve.
Pascoe Vale: a new vegetated swale at Austin Crescent Reserve.

These new features will collect stormwater before it reaches Moonee Ponds Creek and Westbreen Creek. They will naturally filter the water and improve the water quality that flows to downstream ecosystems.

Caring for Country

These projects align with the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Whole of Country Plan 2025–2035, reinforcing shared goals for caring for waterways, supporting water justice and respecting water as a living entity and an essential part of Country.

“Country is our mother and water is her veins, the lifeblood.” — Aunty Di Kerr, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder (Whole of Country Plan 2025–2035)

Learn more

Wetlands are designed to collect, slow, and naturally clean stormwater before it reaches our creeks.

The collected water moves slowly through planted areas, capturing sediment and pollutants. This natural process helps keep waterways healthy.

The new wetlands at Jacana Valley are shaped around existing trees and the character of each reserve. Rainwater from nearby streets flows through existing drains into the proposed planted wetlands, before it slowly flows into the nearby Moonee Ponds Creek.

A swale is a shallow, planted channel that collects and slows rainwater from streets and rooves. As water flows through, plants and soil naturally filter pollutants before the water enters drains and nearby creeks.

At Austin Crescent Reserve, the swale will treat stormwater, allowing water to move slowly through vegetation rather than rushing straight into the drainage system. Sometimes, small pools of water may remain in the swale after the rain.

Join the conversation

Visit the pages below to see the draft designs for each location and share your feedback. Your comments will help us refine the final plans. We want to make sure the projects meet community needs and enhance these important reserves.

• Alignment of walking path
• Tree planting locations
• Location of the pedestrian path entrance

• Location of wetlands or swale are determined by natural drainage patterns
• Sediment basin and pits locations must be placed at specific positions to be effective
• Alignment or connection of utilities like stormwater or sewer pipes, electricity or telecommunications