Karaaf Wetlands – FAQs

The environmental assessment confirms that stormwater is having an adverse impact on the Karaaf Wetlands.

Some vegetation in the Karaaf Wetlands has died back or is changing.

The assessment findings show the western end has been most impacted, but there are varying degrees of changes spanning the wetlands.

Read the assessment in full.

Stormwater has made the Karaaf Wetlands wetter particularly over summer when it would normally dry out.

The potential extent and timeframe for recovery of the saltmarsh affected by dieback is unclear but recovery is not possible if current conditions continue and the saltmarsh is not allowed to dry out.

We have been taking action while we waited for the assessment findings, including removing invasive weeds and stepping up our maintenance of Council-managed constructed wetlands. 

In the short-term we will undertake further weed removal, new plantings to improve water filtration and remove sediment in the constructed wetlands so they perform at their best.

We are assessing long-term options to divert some water away from the Karaaf. We are working with Barwon Water on a concept to divert stormwater away from the Karaaf, mix it with recycled water from Black Rock Water Reclamation Plant, and use it to support high value agricultural activities in the Thompson Valley.

There are no quick fixes. We need to make sure that any actions we or others take are effective. This means that all partners will also need to gather more information before making any decisions that might change the way the Karaaf Wetlands function.

Parks Victoria is the land manager for the Karaaf Wetlands. Surf Coast Shire Council is the drainage authority for stormwater that flows into the wetlands.

Summary of environmental assessment findings

• Some vegetation in the Karaaf Wetlands has died back or is changing.
• Stormwater runoff from north Torquay has contributed to this change.  Thompson Creek and estuary conditions are also influencing factors.
• Many of the impacts are recent – in the last few years - and particularly noticeable at the western end, where the stormwater enters the wetlands.
• Stormwater has made the Karaaf Wetlands wetter particularly over summer when it would normally dry out.
• Prolonged inundation occurs when the Thompson Creek estuary is closed.
• Environmental findings reflect a moment in time. Ecological systems are complex and conditions could alter with changes in climate and other factors so must be carefully monitored.
• The more the Karaaf can be insulated from the impacts of adjacent development, the better the chances of maintenance of the existing ecological values and the greater the potential for recovery of currently impacted vegetation.

Read the assessment in full.

• The constructed wetlands (located in residential estates) are generally in good condition with strong vegetation growth.  There are a couple of exceptions where Typha (an invasive weed) has dominated the wetlands (Typha has since been mostly removed from the Esplanade Wetlands).
• The constructed wetlands are too small to treat the water to best practice standards.
• Changes can be made within the existing footprints to improve their function and therefore the water quality. These include cleaning and deepening sediment ponds and creating shallower areas with water plants to extend the amount of time stormwater sits in them to allow for nutrients to be filtered.
• Stormwater from the north Torquay catchment, including The Sands, generates approximately four times more run-off than pre-development conditions.

Read the assessment in full.

Constructed wetlands provide a way to manage stormwater in a way that delivers better environmental outcomes than traditional underground drainage.

Wetlands are designed to filter water as it makes its way downstream. The shape of the basins and the plantings trap sediment and create habitat.

The maintenance responsibility remains with the developer for two years after completion of their subdivision.

During this period, Council takes an active role in monitoring the wetlands.

The wetland must be maintained and presented for handover in a condition to Council’s satisfaction.

Inspections, audits and requests for works will occur until Council is happy with the condition of the wetland for handover.

The Karaaf Wetlands is a complex and changing environment. We have more to learn about how much water is needed by the Karaaf, from what sources, at what times and in what climatic conditions to ensure it is healthy.

Our approach needs to be flexible to allow for different conditions, like both high and low rainfall and climate change.

We need to find out more, including:

• A hydrology study: to work out how water moves within the wetlands and relationship to the wider Thompson Creek catchment.
• Wadawurrung assessment of the Karaaf Wetlands: to listen to Country and learn what it needs.

The issue is that the stormwater system - designed over 10 years ago - wasn’t designed to protect the vegetation in the Karaaf.

This is a unique situation, in that stormwater goes into a salt marsh, which is not the case anywhere else in the shire.

Thanks to these assessments, we now know a lot more and will apply this to future development.

You can subscribe to receive email updates related to the Karaaf Wetlands.  We’ll also keep updating this website.

• The Karaaf is a 130-hectare Crown land reserve, which includes approximately 95-hectares of saltmarsh vegetation.  It is part of the Thompson Creek estuary and a subsection of the Breamlea Flora and Fauna Reserve managed by Parks Victoria.
• The Karaaf is on Wadawurrung Country and is noted to be of high environmental, cultural heritage and community significance.
• The Karaaf Wetlands and Point Impossible are significant cultural landscapes for the Wadawurrung people as places for food, ceremony and trade.
• The site contains nationally significant saltmarsh and estuarine vegetation which is representative of two threatened ecological communities and provides habitat for threatened species including the critically endangered Orange Bellied Parrot.
• The site also contains state significant vegetation including the Coastal Moonah Woodland community and the recently recognised Bellarine Glasswort Tecticornia.
• Saltmarshes are coastal wetlands that provide an important ecological buffer between land and sea, and productive habitat for a range of species.