MONITORING water levels at Big Swamp is imperative to the survival of the wetland.
Those are the words of Friends of Big Swamp committee member Adrian Collie who is working with City of Bunbury staff and Leschenault Catchment Council for a 12-month water monitoring project.
The project, funded by the State Government’s Natural Resource Management programme will monitor water levels in the swamp and surrounding areas.
The aim is to measure the amount of water flowing in and out of the wetland and how it affects the surrounding water table.
The project will employ Strategen hydrologist Heath Morgan and will provide the data that the City of Bunbury will need to begin planning for a drying climate.
Mr Colley said the information gained from the study will give them a better idea how to plan for the future of the area.
“We really need to know now what is going to happen to water levels in the Big Swamp because the last thing we want to happen is to end up with a huge muddy area that’s a trap for local kids and wildlife,” he said.
“We need to begin the process of revegetating areas that will dry out first so that we can continue to provide habitat for local fauna.”
