Frankston City Council and Melbourne Water have jointly funded the design of a landscaped bioretention basin, proposed to be installed along the High Street frontage of Beauty Park. Stormwater would be discharged into the proposed bioretention basin during rainfall events and be treated there prior to being discharged into Beauty Park Lake.

We want to hear from you!

We are eager to hear your thoughts on the proposed concept design for the stormwater treatment bioretention basin, in the areas of its design and usage, surrounding park area and education. We invite your input into our engagement activities below.

The design and usage

We acknowledge that many of you have exceptional local knowledge of the park, therefore we seek your input into:

  • what the water quality treatment bioretention basin will look like (provide your feedback via our survey on the proposed vegetation and materials to be used);
  • how it will be used;
  • any further ideas you may have for how the park is currently used.

Surrounding park area

The area is valuable open space that may compete with recreation activities so we are also seeking any feedback that may come from user groups, in particular the nearby schools.

Education

Gathering interest in educational opportunities associated with the project, such as how stormwater systems work and how the proposed bioretention basin can help in improving the quality of water that is discharged into Beauty Park Lake -> Kananook Creek -> Port Phillip Bay.


Other aspects of the design, such as the bioretention basin’s location and size cannot be changed due to key engineering functional requirements for its collection and treatment of stormwater.

Project Background

The Beauty Park Lake is a man-made lake, located in Beauty Park, Frankston. The project is a priority in Council’s Integrated Water Action Plan 2016-2026, which comes from Councils Integrated Water Management Plan (IWAP).

The current issues, which have been identified are:

  • Poorer than expected Water Quality of Beauty Park Lake.
  • Sediment build up.
  • High Nitrogen

Key Objectives

With your help, we want to achieve the following key objectives:

  • Improve Water Quality in Beauty Park Lake
  • Integrate with a flood mitigation solution.
  • Improve amenity and provide a source of education.
  • Investigate an alternative water supply source for Frankston Park

Frequently Asked Questions

The project is a priority project for delivery as part of Councils Integrated Water Action Plan IWAP (2016-2026) with a key objective of improving the quality of stormwater flowing into Port Phillip Bay and where feasible to divert and store this water for reuse such as watering grasses on playing fields.

The adjacent Frankston Oval uses a significant amount of water for irrigation and this project is also investigating how to reduce the reliance of potable water by using either the upstream treated stormwater from Beauty Park or the potential for piped recycled water through a purple pipe supply system provided via a future South East Water to irrigate the Oval.

Capture & treatment of upstream stormwater including removal of pollutants and sediment before it reaches Port Phillip Bay.

Improving the water quality of Beauty Park Lake including reducing current high levels of nitrogen, phosphorous, and sediment build-up.

Improving the aesthetics of Beauty Park through landscaping including improved pathways, retaining walls and eating, feature weathering steel troughs and carved rocks within the bioretention basin, and planting of vegetation within and surrounding the area.

Reducing the amount of potable water used in the irrigation of Frankston Park Oval (Stage 2).

Stage 1 - Stormwater Treatment (Currently Funded)

  • A landscaped Bioretention Basin along the High Street frontage of Beauty Park.

Stage 2 - Water Supply to Frankston Park (Unfunded)

  • Option 1 - Stormwater Harvesting - A system to capture treated stormwater for use in the irrigation of Frankston Park oval.
  • Option 2 – Recycled Water - Supply of recycled water for irrigation as part of the extension to the Frankston Recycled Water Scheme.

Stage 3 – Beauty Park Fountain (Unfunded)

A fountain at Beauty Park Lake is also being considered which may assist in improving oxygen levels and provide a landscape feature.

Design of the project has been jointly funded by Council and Melbourne Water.

Subject to the outcome of community consultation, Council will seek matching funding for construction of the project from Melbourne Water.

A bioretention basin is a basin that stormwater is discharged into during rainfall events. Pollutants such as Nitrogen and Phosphorous are removed from the water by the vegetation that is planted within the bioretention basin.

For the proposed basin in Beauty Park, sediment is also planned to be removed through use of an underground settling tank, from which sediment can be routinely emptied by maintenance crews.

Careful design and construction is undertaken to lessen the likelihood of odour in the bioretention basin, through ensuring sediment build up does not impede plant growth, and enabling nutrient uptake by vegetation growth.

Maintenance of the bioretention basin will also be undertaken to maximise its water quality treatment benefit which will also assist to lessen the likelihood of odour.

Treating the water at the basin will improve the water quality within the lake, which currently experiences a build-up of nutrients and resultant algal blooms. The lake also experiences a significant amount of sediment build-up, which will be reduced by being captured in the settling tank at the bioretention basin.

Water will enter the bioretention basin and pond on the surface during rainfall events. When the rainfall events stop the water will drain through the garden rapidly due to a high infiltration rate. The bioretention basin will remain dry for the majority of the time.