Trial to combat stagnant stormwater

Council is undertaking an Australian-first trial to address stagnant ponds of water on our beaches, in front of two stormwater outlets.

In partnership with Biotech Water™, Council is treating the stormwater drains at Edwards Street, South Brighton, and Young Street, Seacliff with a nature-based bacterial product.

Bacterial technologies are rapidly being applied in a wide range of settings, including in agricultural and industrial wastewater treatment.

The product is environmentally friendly, completely biodegradable and non-toxic. The product and trial have both been approved by the South Australian Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

Once applied, the bacteria will become part of the natural aquatic environment and will not harm any other organisms, plants or animals present in the water body.

The product also helps to oxygenate the water, which should reduce the bad smell.

For many years, these two stormwater outlets have been prone to water pooling.

In summer, as water evaporates and there is very low or no input of fresh water, the ponds become stagnant, look unsightly and produce noxious smells.

The Hooded Plovers which nest on the beach, often near the Edwards Street outlet, bring their young chicks to feed on the invertebrates that live in the damp sand around the edges of the ponds, meaning that they could also be ingesting a range of pollutants.

If there is a rainfall event, the polluted water flushes out into Gulf St Vincent in the nearshore marine environment.

Regular use of the product should provide benefits such as the removal of noxious odours and foaming, increase oxygenation, reduce sludge production, control blue-green algae, reduce nitrogen and phosphorous, and provide overall improved water quality before the water enters Gulf St Vincent.

The trial will run until the end of the month and may extend into early April 2025 depending on weather and rainfall conditions.

Water quality tests will be conducted throughout the trial period to determine the effectiveness of the product. It should be noted that any change will not be immediate and could take several weeks to materialise.

If the trial is successful, this will become one of several management options that we can use to manage the water quality in the ponds.