Now, here’s a ‘good news’ story.
The Greening the Pipeline project is revitalising the entire 27 kilometres of Melbourne’s Main Outfall Sewer (MOS) reserve, from Millers Road in Brooklyn to the Western Treatment Plant in Werribee. The old MOS was built in the 1890s with steam engines, as shown in the photo above. It’s now being turned into a natural and vibrant space that will connect communities and provide a unique place for neighbours to meet, play and relax.
It’s a model project for climate change adaptation – providing shade, reducing ‘urban heat island’ effects, sequestering carbon from additional trees and using treated stormwater to irrigate the green space. For the west of Melbourne, it provides a green link between the growth corridor and the city.
It’s also a model for collaboration between local and state government agencies. The project is a main focus for the Greening the West alliance. The partners are Wyndham City Council (with about 20 kilometres of the MOS), Brimbank City Council (with about 2 kilometres), Hobsons Bay City Council (with about 2 kilometres), City West Water, Melbourne Water and VicRoads. It also includes funding from the Australian Government from the ‘One Million Trees’ project.
This year, the project will be completed with the planting of nearly 25,000 trees – in addition to the greening already achieved.
This short video by Melbourne Water shows sections of the MOS and includes experts in health, cycling, ecology, education and urban design talking about the huge range of benefits of the project. Well worth a watch!
Contact Emma Pryse, Project Coordinator based at Wyndham City Council for more information: Emma.Pryse@wyndham.vic.gov.au
