River bank and flood plain zones near the Reid Highway extension will be re-vegetated in the early winter months to increase plant diversity and encourage flora and fauna to flourish in the surrounding countryside.
Schoolchildren will be invited to replenish the local plant life with hundreds of tube stock and small seedlings throughout the months of June and July. Project Environment Manager Jeff Hallberg said the area had become quite degraded over the years, and only three to four species of plant life co-existed along the riverbank.
Seeds and cuttings were gathered early last year within a 50-kilometre radius of the earthworks to cultivate shrubs from the endemic plant life.
“We will be planting 10 species native to the area, and once they become established in five years or so time, even more wildlife will be encouraged into the area,” he said.
Riverbed areas will be planted with varieties such as Allocasuarina, Humilis, Eucalyptus and Rudis, while the large flood plain area will benefit from 60 native species including acacias, banksias and grevillias.
Part of the landscaping project has involved salvaging hollow logs from trees cut down to provide future habitat for small animals, such as possums and bandicoots.
During the construction of the new Whiteman Bridge, river water was monitored closely to protect local fish and other river life. A silt curtain consisting of a floating boom on the surface and a hessian curtain reached the riverbed to form an impermeable barrier.
Sediment caused by rock movement was successfully prevented from entering the water and the curtain will remain until the river crane is removed.