After heavier than expected rainfalls in October, the 2.3 million litre ‘Dragonfly’ pond 5b off Stanhope Parkway has filled several months ahead of schedule.
In this, the first of five water quality management ponds for which the suburb has been named, urban runoff is treated through sand filtration, nutrient uptake from wetland reed beds and ultraviolet radiation on open water zones in the pond.
Clean water is then released back into Second Ponds Creek, flowing to Cattai Creek and finally the Hawkesbury River.
Working closely with lead engineering consultant J. Wyndham Prince, Clouston Associates was responsible for the shaping, layout and aesthetics of the pond, nicknamed ‘Dragonfly’ because of its 36m long series of 12 Corten steel decorative panels depicting dragonflies, which rely on clean, fresh water to breed.
The Ponds is a sustainable development by Landcom and Australand comprising 3,000 residential lots and over 80h of parkland along Second Ponds Creek within the Blacktown LGA.
The development integrates rehabilitation of the creek and bushland in a residential context.
Distinctive features within the community include limited but strategic use of amenity lawn areas and a water quality management system which cleanses district and subdivision runoff through a system of rain gardens, wetlands and ponds.