Unitywater Sewage Treatment Plant

Nambour, QLD

UnityWater asked us to design native gardens on the steep embankments around their new sewage treatment plant that would both stabilise the slope and improve the appearance of the facility.

The soil was severely compacted causing surface water to run off, eroding the slopes and making it difficult to establish plants. A layer of good topsoil was required to address these issues. We provided a solution involving no earthworks that enabled the addition of a topsoil layer and ensured it would be highly stable to withstand erosive forces.

Having achieved UnityWater's primary objective of  stabilising the embankment, we designed attractive native gardens of drought tolerant plants to meet their secondary need for low maintenance and site beautification.

A deep covering of hardwood chip mulch further reduces maintenance by suppressing weeds, retaining moisture, and adding organic matter to the soil, feeding the microorganisms and, in turn, the plants. Due to our thoughtful and detailed planning, the success rate of the plants after establishment has been exceptional.