By Parker McKenzie
Maintenance work at a Knoxfield site — known locally as Lake Knox — has begun to repair the artificial dam.
Lake Knox is located on the corner of Burwood Highway and Scoresby Road, Knoxfield. It is on the grounds of the former Knoxfield Horticultural Research Institute, where it is believed to have been used to store water for use in irrigating research crops in either the late 1950s or early 1960s.
The land it is situated on is owned by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. It was rezoned in 2018 for Development Victoria to develop the land for residential housing and community space.
The works form part of the development of the site, which includes replacing the dam with an artificial wetlands system. Construction will begin on Thursday 17 March and is scheduled to be carried out over the next month.
Development Victoria said the damn has been assessed as structurally unsound and at risk of failure, with the works needed to address deterioration and community safety risks.
“It will see crews remove the concrete spillway and associated unstable soil, remove weeds and invasive plants around the spillway to improve water flow into nearby Blind Creek and also add rocks to replace the concrete and soil removed.” Development Victoria said.
“The new wetlands has been designed by a team of expert consultants, including ecologists. It will result in a far better overall environmental outcome and improve the health of local waterways, including Blind Creek by ensuring the proper treatment of stormwater, which is not currently happening through the dam.”
The development of the site has proved controversial, with the discovery of several hatchings of the vulnerable blue-billed ducks. While Development Victoria argues the new wetlands being constructed will result in better environmental outcomes for the species, opposition to the plans have raised concerns over the ability to produce the promised results.
A community-funded report by Professor Paul Boon stated several issues with the plans, including that claims of guaranteed ecological success “are inconsistent with scientific literature,” “doubts over Development Victoria’s capacity to deliver high-quality replacement aquatic habitat,” and the plan containing questionable assertions about Lake Knox and its development.
