A blueprint for current works and future planning

Mannum - Long Gully Creek restoration

Rural Solutions SA were asked to review Long Gully Creek, a heavily incised waterway, to assess erosion, native vegetation, cultural issues and the impacts on infrastructure and the River Murray.

A plan of action was required to enable the Council and community to take action to restore the creek to reduce erosion to improve biodiversity and reduce impacts.

Long Gully is generally a dry creek, running adjacent to a council road that is often affected by high water flows during summer storm events. Consequent erosion is undermining the road and the mobile soil is being dumped into the River Murray.

What we did.

Working with local community groups, the Council and indigenous communities, Rural Solutions SA undertook the following activities:

Assessment and mapping of the relevant issues by walking the site with local/indigenous community representatives

Identification of major threats including the level of batter erosion (high, medium or low)

Cataloguing the condition, locality and structure of native vegetation types

Reporting on the erosion impacts on infrastructure including roads, fencing and building as well as on the River Murray

Assessment the effects of pollution by human activities along the length of the study area

Identification of restoration and revegetation options

Establishing a register of heritage sites and indigenous concerns

Development of an action timeframe and budget

What we achieved

Working with local community groups and the Council ensured local ownership of the problems as well as the solutions.

The study was divided into three key zones - saline floodplain, valley floor and foot slopes and gully erosion which enabled a structured approach to the restoration.

This limited the potential for mistakes and saved time and money in the actual restoration process.

Rural Solutions SA produced a document that not only identified the steps for the implementation of on-ground works but also provided a valuable reference for future activity within the Long Gully catchment. This is especially relevant to increased water flows from discharges from potential new housing estates. Similar projects have been undertaken for Mid-Murray, Mitcham, Glenelg and Renmark Councils.