Small Creek was once a meandering natural stream that flowed into Deebing Creek. Today, it’s a straight concrete channel in Raceview that offers very little value to the community or environment.

That’s about to change: Small Creek will return to a natural waterway through a Council project. As well as clean water and habitat for wildlife, the new Small Creek will allow for better path and bikeway connections and the opportunity for you to enjoy nature in your neighbourhood.

History
You might be surprised to know - or perhaps you remember - that the concrete drain running from Whitehill Road to Warwick Road through Raceview was once a winding natural stream by the name of Small Creek. Like most waterways, it was surrounded by large iconic tree species such as the Queensland blue gum, with an understory of native grasses and rushes. In the early days following European colonisation of the area the waterway was cleared and grazing introduced, instigating a period of ongoing decline.

This led to the creek being replaced in the early eighties with the concrete drain that we see today. The few trees that still exist are remnants of the original landscape along the creek that once upon a time would have had their roots in or close to the water.

Council is undertaking a significant project to reinstate Small Creek as a natural waterway to provide cleaner water for the community, habitat for birds, options for path and bikeway connections and the opportunity for you to enjoy a natural waterway in your neighbourhood.

Benefits of Small Creek

• Improved aesthetics, with the creek appearing as a naturally occurring waterway over time.
• Cooler water in our waterways, a vital requirement for native fish species.
• Reduction in air temperatures by up to two degrees around the creek corridor.
• Improved environmental outcomes and better water/habitat quality for animals and plants.
• Increased value of surrounding property, as evidenced by recent research of similar projects.
• Provision of improved active transport connections for residents.

Small Creek Progress Updates

• Update 1 - Design Your Creek Week Feedback

Thank you to everyone for sharing your ideas and thoughts on Small Creek during Design Your Creek Week between 11 - 16 November. View and/or download a summary of the outcomes obtained from the week.

Big Plans for Small Creek Update 1: Design Your Creek Week (PDF, 5.7 MB)

During the week of 11 - 16 November 2016, we held Design Your Creek Week, where the community was invited to come and give input, suggestions and ideas and chat to expert consultants onsite regarding the design of Small Creek. As a celebration of this exciting project, we hosted a range of family activities, including guided creek tours and technical and design workshops.

The week was well attended and we gained valuable insight and input from local residents regarding the best way to realise the shared vision of Small Creek and the ample benefits to the community of returning the creek to a natural system, reflective of what it once was.

Those who were not able to attend onsite to give input and anyone else wanting to provide feedback on the project are invited on an ongoing basis to provide input via our online Have Your Say project feedback form. For specific questions or more detailed information, please contact Council's Waterway Improvement Officer Ben Walker on (07) 3810 6666.

• Update 2 - Concept Design

Building on the ideas and direction given by the community during Design Your Creek Week, we have developed a concept design, “Big Plans for Small Creek”.  Detailed design will continue during this first half of 2017.

The Concept includes, 1.6km of channel to be naturalised, 1.6km of connection pathways, discovery trails, tree planting for habitat, visual appreciation points and more.  Improved water quality flowing into Deebing Creek and 970kg reduction in total nitrogen entering Deebing Creek each year are key environmental improvements our community will receive from the project.

Big Plans for Small Creek Update 2: Concept Design report (PDF, 7.4 MB)

FAQ’s

Why does the concrete channel need to be removed?

The area was originally a creek before it was turned into a concrete channel. In its current state, the channel contributes to the degradation of water in our creeks and rivers, as the hard surfaces in urban areas result in more runoff of pollutants. This dirty water travels very quickly down the channel, causing erosion and poor water quality in downstream Deebing Creek. The Small Creek project will help to reduce these problems.

Can the community comment and provide feedback on Small Creek?

Design Your Creek Week provides the opportunity for everyone to provide any comments on the design of Small Creek and share their ideas on the waterway. Council welcomes this feedback so that the new design actively contributes to improving the neighbourhood for the community. Council and expert consultants will be onsite through Design Your Creek Week to hear and chat about your ideas, and input is welcome through the Have Your Say project feedback form.

What will Small Creek look like?

The creek design will be informed by the community input gathered during Design Your Creek Week. It is likely that the final creek design will look like any natural waterway, with native vegetation, pools and riffles (shallow, running sections of water).

What about flooding?

Throughout the design phase extensive modelling will be done on the creek and surrounding area to ensure that Small Creek poses no additional flooding risks and addresses existing flooding issues where possible.

What if I have other concerns?

Throughout Design Your Creek Week the community has the opportunity to contribute ideas and share concerns so that any possible impacts on the area can be taken into account in the design phase.

How will Small Creek benefit me?

• Returning the creek to its natural state will result in:
• Improved aesthetics, with the creek appearing as a naturally occurring waterway over time.
• Cooler water in our waterways, a vital requirement for native fish species.
• Improved environmental outcomes via better water quality and habitat for animals and plants.
• Provision of improved active transport connections for residents.
• Potentially improving the value of property surrounding the corridor by the implementation of a naturalised area. Research evidences an increase in value of property surrounding similar local projects of between $17,000 to $26,000, well above current property value trends.

Where will the new creek be?

Small Creek will run in the general location of the current concrete channel, meandering through the area from Whitehill Road to Warwick Road.

When will the new creek be constructed?

Design and construction of the Small Creek project will continue for a number of years, with the design phase planned from October 2016 to June 2017 and the construction phase commencing in the 2017/2018 financial year and being staged over the following four years

Why Small Creek?

Small Creek offers a unique opportunity to enhance the natural beauty of the area, improve waterway health and provide better active transport options and connection networks for the community.

Why don’t we spend this money elsewhere?

This project is funded by developer contributions under Council’s water quality offsets scheme. It is a legal requirement that Council spend any money collected under the scheme on water quality improvement projects, a primary component of the Small Creek project.

Who can I talk to within Council to get further information regarding this project?

If you couldn't make it to Design Your Creek Week you can still provide input via the Have Your Say online form.

For specific questions or more detailed information, please contact Council's Waterway Improvement Officer Ben Walker on (07) 3810 6666.