Mornington Peninsula Shire says it is leading the way in stormwater management by building its first coastal bioinfiltration basin at Rye foreshore. The basin, located at Elgan Ave and Point Nepean Rd, is a heavily vegetated area into which stormwater will flow and be processed naturally through the sand dunes. The shire says this natural filtration system will remove stormwater pollutants including street litter before the water reaches Port Phillip.

The project was paid for by the shire, the State Government’s Port Phillip Bay Fund and Melbourne Water and was initiated by the Rye Community Group Alliance. Poor visual water quality at Rye encouraged the community to take action to improve the environmental health of the bay. The project is projected to also improve the aesthetics of the foreshore through the planting of vegetation, adding information signs about stormwater issues, and installing an accessible boardwalk connecting the beach to the Bay Trail.

Work to build the basin has started and is expected to be finished in October, although completion may be delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions. You can find out more about the project here.