A great egret looks for breakfast at Calamvale Creek

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Photo acknowledgment

Many historical photos of the Golden Pond wetland system on this website were kindly provided by Associate Professor Margaret Greenway and Research Assistant Carolyn Polson from the School of Environmental Engineering at Griffith University. We thank them greatly.

Aerial photographs came from the Department of Natural Resources.

We also thank Ross Bomf and any photographers whose names we do not know if we have used their photographs without specific acknowledgment.

Using our photos

Photos on this website are copyright. If you want to use any, email us at: creeklife@gmail.com

Treatment train at Golden Pond

The Golden Pond wetland system is a “treatment train” for the water that runs into it.

The treatment train consists of a sediment basin, two constructed wetlands, a natural riparian wetland, two below-ground gross pollutant traps, and a natural downstream creek with small lagoons. (See map for location if you are unsure where they are.)

The treatment train works like this:

The sediment basin is a pond that catches the heaviest sediments in the water that flows into it from the upstream stormwater drainage channel.

The water then flows into Wetland 1.

It then passes through culverts under Golden Avenue, and flows into Wetland 2.

Wetland 2 also receives stormwater from a piped drainage system after it has passed through a gross pollutant trap (which separates solid debris from liquids).

Water flows from Wetland 2 into a natural riparian wetland, which also takes stormwater from another piped drainage system after it has passed through a below-ground gross pollutant trap.

The water then flows from the riparian wetland into the natural downstream creek and lagoons.

Stormwater also flows into the creek from seven other drainage pipes.

Critters of Calamvale Creek

The sediment basin at Golden Pond

The sediment basin that is part of Calamvale's Golden Pond wetlands system often fills up with sand. It is designed to catch heavy sediments so that cleaner water flows into Wetland 1.

sediment_basin_Feb2001 (29K)

The photo above shows the sediment basin with an enormous amount of sand after a storm on Thursday February 1, 2001. The storm deposited sandy material that completely filled the sediment basin.

Five weeks later, on Friday March 9, the area experienced a once-in-a-hundred-years storm that completely flooded the creek, wetlands, and parks. Some local streets were impassable.

sediment_basin_Mar2001 (32K)

The photo above was taken on the following Monday (March 12). It is a pretty picture that belies the strength of the storm a few days earlier.

sediment_basin_May2007 (29K)

Here is the sediment basin a little over six years later — in May 2007.

Golden Pond Wetland 1

Water flows from the sediment basin into Wetland 1.

wetland_1_Oct2000 (39K)

Above: This is a photo of Golden Pond Wetland 1 in October 2000, taken from the Golden Avenue bridge.

golden_pond_wetland1 (26K)

Above: This is the same view taken six-and-a-half years later — in April 2007. Notice the change in vegetation.

Downstream creek

Hist_looking_north_to_wooden_bridge (34K)

Above: This undated photo (probably late 1990s) shows the downstream lagoon. We are facing north towards the wooden bridge.

looking_north_to_wooden_bridge (45K)

… and here is the same view several years later — on May 4, 2007.

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