Mates Gully erosion control program
Key achievements
- All stages of the project were completed on time and within budget.
- Those involved in the Mates Gully project effectively demonstrated what can be achieved when difficult soil conditions are detected.
- The levels of erosion have been reduced from the treated sections of creek banks and point sources of erosion have been treated with the gully control structures.
The challenge
An erosion control program was required at Mates Gully, Wagga Wagga, to reduce sediment loads entering the Tarcutta Creek and Murrumbidgee River.
Landholders in the Mates Gully area were concerned that the continual sediment movement was threatening efforts to stabilise and revegetate their recent work.
They sought assistance from Riverina Local Land Services, who partnered with our specialist team to take up this challenge.
Work undertaken
The work has been undertaken in three stages.
Stage one included planning and designing work to be implemented.
Stage two included fencing for the different sites.
Stage three consisted of installing three gully control structures (ie dams) with inclined trickle pipe spillways and placing large log debris in heavily eroded sections of the creek.
The gully control structures were built with a bulldozer and the woody debris was placed in the creek with an excavator.
The results have been pleasing and local landholders have been thrilled with the outcome of the project and the assistance they have received from Riverina Local Land Services.
Benefits
The program is jointly funded by the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and landholders involved.
The project reduces the amount of sediment entering Tarcutta Creek and the Murrumbidgee River.
It also protects and enhances vegetation corridors for endangered species like the Swift Parrot.