The Belconnen Oval Wetlands is an innovative project that demonstrates how science-driven planning and tools like eWater MUSIC™ can help restore and protect Canberra’s urban waterways.
Belconnen Wetlands Credit: ACT Government
In April 2025 as part of its ACT Healthy Waterways project, the ACT Government opened a $4 million wetland designed to improve water quality in Lake Ginninderra – a dam located in Canberra’s north – by filtering stormwater from the Emu Bank catchment.
At the heart of the planning and design was eWater MUSIC™, Australia’s leading stormwater modelling software. The ACT Government, working with managing contractor Construction Control and design consultant, Egis, used our stormwater tool to assess pollutant loads and simulate how stormwater would move through the catchment.
eWater MUSIC™ supported the design of a stormwater treatment train incorporating a Gross Pollutant Trap (GPT), sediment pond, constructed wetland and sub-surface wetland to treat gross pollutants, coarse and fine sediment, suspended solids and bound nutrients.
Belconnen Wetlands Credit: ABC Canberra
The model helped engineers design a system that could remove up to 30 per cent of nutrients and solids before they reach the lake – substantially reducing the risk of harmful algal blooms.
This site is the first in the ACT to incorporate subsurface filtration alongside traditional ponds and wetlands, allowing water to flow underground through plant roots where nutrients and pollutants are naturally absorbed.
Sub-surface wetlands are a newer stormwater treatment device, and as such are not currently included as a standard treatment node in MUSIC. Taking advantage of MUSIC’s flexibility, the design team adapted the bioretention MUSIC treatment node to reflect the features of the sub-surface wetland. Allowing them to estimate the removal of Total Suspended Solids, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus.
The ACT Government were able to visualise, predict, and refine how stormwater would interact with the landscape, enabling them to balance environmental performance with community needs.
The Belconnen Oval Wetland is not just an engineering success- it also enhances liveability. Visitors will be able to enjoy the site’s walking paths, open space, and native vegetation, while contributing to a broader effort to conserve Canberra’s unique urban environment.
The project forms part of the ACT Government’s efforts to improves water quality through infrastructure, community engagement, and science-based monitoring, while educating the community on how everyday actions, such as proper waste disposal and garden care that impact the health of local rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
For more information about the Healthy Waterways Program, visit act.gov.au.
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