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| Frankston Reservoir to be kept for public use |  |
Alistair has been working hard for many years to ensure that the Frankston Reservoir is kept in public hands.
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| New tank - better quality water for Frankston | |
The Frankston Reservoir is located in South Frankston and is bordered by dwellings.
The site is 98 hectares in size, of which 10 hectares is taken up by the reservoir and one hectare by the storage tank and chlorinator.
Frankston Reservoir was an open air reservoir with a clay bottom, and was liable to contamination caused by animals, birds and plant growth. Australian Drinking Water guidelines recommend all service reservoirs to be covered to prevent contamination.
After significant consultation with residents in the area, Melbourne Water installed a covered water tank approximately 95 metres wide. Now complete, it is coloured to blend in with surrounding vegetation. The tank contains 53 mega litres of high quality drinking water.
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| Environmental Issues | |
Supply to the Frankston Reservoir is now from the natural catchment surrounding it. There are catch drains around the reservoir which prevent runoff from the upstream catchment entering the reservoir and creating water quality problems.
The site contains a variety of important indigenous flora and fauna.
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| Reservoir's future raised in Parliament | |
Alistair asked a previous Minister for the Environment, John Thwaites MP, for his assurance that the Frankston Reservoir will be retained in public hands for generations to come.
He told Parliament that the only suitable use for the land is to be retained as open space or for a park.
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| Ministerial Advisory Group | |
Following a suggestion from Alistair, the then Minister agreed to appoint a ministerial steering group to investigate all options and to consult further with local residents.
Over 50 people expressed an interest to Alistair in being appointed to the Working Group. As this many people in the group would have been impractable, a series of sub committees were established (based on the terms of reference) to seek as much feedback and input from residents and experts as possible.
The Ministerial Working Group set about investigating options for the future use of the site
It considered how best to protect and manage the reservoir and parklands, and consisted of representatives of all stakeholders with an interest in the future use of the site.
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| First Public Meeting - big turnout | |
A Public Meeting about the future of the Frankston Reservoir site was held at the Frankston Arts Centre on Wednesday, 8 February 2006, and more than 270 people attended.
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 | Flora (including weeds) | |
Fauna (including pest animals) | |
Landscape, cultural and heritage values | |
Fire (wildfire/ fire management/ ecological or fuel reduction burning) | |
Safety (dangerous features or structures, risk management etc) | |
Access (implications of changed access regimes for natural values, management, neighbours' interests, options for access points) | |
Water quality and hydrology (water sources, water levels, Sweetwater Creek, management of drainage, retarding basin, catch drains, etc) | |
Recreation (pluses and minuses of forms of recreation that might be provided for or allowed) | |
Facilities (sorts of facilities and where they might be located, including signage and interpretation) | |
Linkages with surroundings (walking tracks, co-management options, corridor possibilities, links with other reserves, neighbourhood issues, etc) | |
Management needs (what people would expect of the manager, management planning, management priorities) |
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| Funding for the Park | |
In the 2007-08 State Budget, the State Government allocated $1.6 million for the Frankston Reservoir Park.
An additional $1 mllion has been allocated - providing a total of $2.6 million for this important park.
Park foundation works to be delivered with this funding include carparking access, walking tracks and boardwalks, toilet facilities, service connections and picnic/BBQ facilities, as well as major works to maintain future water quality and water levels in the reservoir.
Future steps in the park’s development could include the establishment of picnic facilities, a playground, trail, car park and revegetation programs.
Labor is proud to be retaining this vitally important local asset in public hands so that many generations to come will be able to enjoy this beautiful natural habitat.
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| Hydrology Works | |
Parks Victoria are currently seeking detailed and expert advice on outstanding hydrology issues. This work will consider options for diverting water from catch drains into the Reservoir and environmental flows into Sweetwater Creek, and the treatment of this water.
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| Park Master Plan | |
It is very clear that the vast majority of Frankston people want to see the site protected, and Alistair will continue working with the community and various agencies and organisations to see the Frankston Reservoir Park become a reality.
The Brumby Government is working is strong partnership with Parks Victoria to prepare the final Management Plan for the Reservoir.
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| More information? | |
If you would like more information, do not hesitate to contact Alistair. Of course, he will add new details to this website on a regular basis to keep the community informed.
Maybe you have some good ideas about what sort of activities could be adopted at the site. Some ideas already suggested are walking trails and interpretative signage - to name just two.
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| Detailed Reports and Data | |
Alistair has a number of detailed reports and other data which are far too large to add to this website. If you require specific techinical information of any sort, please contact Alistair's Office and he and his staff will endevour to get the right information for you.
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| 2010 Discovery Days | |
Sunday 25 July marked the official opening of the Frankston Reservoir Natural Features Reserve with the first of four park discovery days that will help people have a close look at this previously hidden bushland.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Gavin Jennings said the Frankston Reservoir Natural Features Reserve in the heart of Frankston is being transformed from a water storage site to a community asset thanks to a $2.6 million Victorian Government program.
“The Frankston Reservoir Natural Features Reserve will add to Victoria already long list of world-class parks and gardens,” Mr Jennings said.
“Visitors will be able to see first hand this previously hidden bushland in the heart of Frankston and have the chance to see the great work Parks Victoria is doing to transform the former closed water storage site into a reserve for the community to enjoy.
“The Brumby Labor Government has committed $2.6 million to the first stage of turning the land into a public park, funding important risk management works and other works to divert stormwater into the reserve to maintain the water level in the reservoir. “
There will be three other discovery days in 2010:
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| 10am - 4pm, Sunday 29 August; | |
12pm - 5pm, Wednesday 29 September; and | |
10am - 4pm, Sunday 31 October |
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Because Parks Victoria is only in the early stages of work on the site initial visitors will be restricted to ranger-guided tours only, for the safety of visitors and the protection of the environment.
While we are keen to show off this new park area the most important thing is people’s comfort and safety. When the reserve is opened fully it will offer the residents of Frankston a unique asset with fantastic environmental values and opportunities for recreation.
This peaceful bushland will provide the perfect a place to get out and get healthy in the local environment. The reserve is home to 208 indigenous plant species and provides habitat for significant fauna.
To book a place for any of the discovery days go to www.parkweb.vic.gov.au. The Frankston Natural Features Reserve is located in Frankston, between Moorooduc Rd and Overport Road and entry is via Jeremy Way (Melways ref 102 E9).
More information is available from Parks Victoria's Frankston page:
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| Suggest a new name for our Park! | |
Residents are invited to contribute a new name for the park through a process that will be overseen by the Office of Geographic Place Names.
Suggested names for the park can be submitted at www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/frankston
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