Across the City of Moreton Bay, a network of strategically positioned ponds, sediment basins, vegetated drains and native plantings is helping clean urban stormwater before it reaches local creeks and eventually Moreton Bay. These systems capture pollutants commonly found in runoff from residential and commercial areas, including sediment, nitrogen, phosphorus and other contaminants.
The region sits within the upper catchments of waterways that ultimately flow into Moreton Bay, meaning the quality of stormwater leaving suburbs such as Caboolture, Morayfield and Burpengary can have a measurable impact downstream.
Among the 90 constructed wetlands operating across the region, two projects close to home have received state-wide recognition for their innovative approach to stormwater management.
Two projects that raised the bar
At the 2025 Stormwater Queensland Awards for Excellence, two Moreton Bay constructed wetland projects took home top honours in their respective categories.
The Beech Drive Park Wetland Project in Morayfield was designed to improve water quality within the local catchment by capturing sediment and other pollutants before they enter downstream waterways. The project forms part of broader efforts to protect waterways flowing through the Caboolture region and into Moreton Bay.
Just south in Burpengary, the Crendon Street Park Naturalised Channel transformed a former concrete drain into a winding, vegetated waterway featuring sediment basins, habitat ponds and native plantings. The project now helps filter stormwater runoff while creating habitat for wildlife and enhancing a popular local park.
Both projects received honours at the 2025 Stormwater Queensland Awards for Excellence and showcase a growing shift towards nature-based infrastructure. Rather than relying solely on traditional concrete drains, these systems use wetlands, vegetation and natural water flows to improve water quality, support biodiversity and create more attractive public spaces for surrounding communities.
How constructed wetlands work
A constructed wetland is not a natural feature. It is an engineered system designed to mimic the pollutant-filtering function of natural wetlands, using sequences of ponds, sediment basins and densely planted vegetated zones to slow, settle and biologically treat stormwater as it moves through the system.
As water enters the first pond, heavy particles and sediment drop out. The water then moves slowly through vegetated zones where native aquatic plants and microbial activity in the root zone break down nutrients including nitrogen and phosphorus. By the time the water exits the system, the pollutant load has been substantially reduced before it reaches any natural waterway.
The thousands of native plants in these systems do more than treat water. They provide habitat corridors for birds, insects and small animals, reduce urban heat, and improve the amenity of the parks and reserves in which the wetlands are built.
Moreton Bay and what it’s worth protecting
Moreton Bay is a Ramsar-listed wetland of international significance, home to more than 700 species of marine life, internationally significant migratory shorebird populations, dugongs, dolphins and sea turtles. It supports both commercial and recreational fisheries and draws tourists and residents to the peninsula coastline year-round.
Urban stormwater is one of the most persistent sources of pollution entering the bay. Nutrients from household gardens, sediment from construction sites and fine particles from roads and paved surfaces all travel through stormwater drains and into creeks, which carry them to the bay.
Constructed wetlands intercept that flow at the catchment level, removing pollutants at scale before the water leaves the urban area.
For more information on Moreton Bay’s waterway programs, click here.
Published 8-June-2026
Featured Image Credit: City of Moreton Bay
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