Neil McDougall Lake Urban Sensitive Design

From time to time Neil McDougall Lake in Como experiences growth of an aquatic plant species Lemna minor, commonly known as duckweed. It occurs naturally, usually during the warmer months and is not harmful to wildlife or people.

The lake is a receiving water body for stormwater in the area, and picks up nutrients from the surrounding catchment area which are then deposited into the lake.

The duckweed feeds off this nutrient and coupled with warm weather conditions it flourishes.

The City’s environment team monitor the occurrence of duckweed in the lake on a regular basis, and in 2018 commenced preparation of a sustainable solution for the management of duckweed in the lake. The City proposes to retrofit all inlets that feed into the lake with a range of Water Sensitive Urban Design features to help to reduce the level of nutrients before they enter the lake.

The community and other stakeholders will be invited to share their feedback on the concept designs in early 2019.

To keep up to date with this project visit yoursay.southperth.wa.gov.au.