Geelong's Botanic Gardens and Eastern Park in Victoria will be greener thanks to the construction of new stormwater irrigation infrastructure.

 

The Australian Government is providing funding of $415,000 for the Eastern Park project, which is part of $2.79 million in Australian Government funding for the broader Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse - Geelong's Plan project.

 

At Eastern Park today to inspect progress, Senator Don Farrell, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water, said the stormwater project would improve water supply security for the Botanic Gardens and Eastern Park.

 

"The new stormwater harvesting infrastructure will capture approximately 30 million litres of water a year, reducing reliance on drinking-quality water and allowing the Botanic Gardens and Eastern Park to access water in all conditions," he said.

 

"The project will also have benefits for the environmental health of Corio Bay as it will capture stormwater that is being discharged into the bay, treat it and hold it in a storage basin."

 

The storage basin is in the form of a man-made lake and will be surrounded by thousands of indigenous plants. Harvested water will flow through a pond and into the lake, which will hold approximately four million litres of water.