Federation Park Stormwater Upgrade
HumeGard® Protects the Condamine River
Background
Improving Water Quality Along the Condamine River
Federation Park in Warwick sits along the Condamine River, a key tributary of the Murray–Darling Basin and an important environmental corridor upstream of the town centre. While the park is a valued community and recreational space, it had long served as the discharge point for approximately 60% of stormwater and surface runoff from the Warwick CBD, entering the river untreated.
Southern Downs Regional Council identified the need to improve stormwater quality entering the Condamine River, while maintaining the hydraulic performance of the existing drainage network to avoid increased flood risk within the CBD.
Key Challenge
Improving Stormwater Quality Without Increasing Flood Riskzawa
The challenge was to retrofit stormwater quality improvement devices (SQIDs) into an existing drainage system with minimal available headloss. The solution needed to effectively capture and retain gross pollutants and sediments during both regular flows and peak storm events, without compromising drainage capacity or increasing the risk of flooding in the town centre.
Outcome
Cleaner Water and Long-Term Environmental Protection
Humes supplied and installed two HumeGard® Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs), positioned back-to-back within parallel 1,200 mm reinforced concrete pipelines. Designed to operate under low headloss conditions, the system now treats around 60% of stormwater from the Warwick CBD.
The HumeGard® GPTs achieve up to 99% capture efficiency for gross pollutants and sediments greater than 150 microns, reducing gross pollutant and sediment loads entering the Condamine River by approximately 85% each year. This upgrade delivers lasting improvements to local water quality, enhances public amenity within Federation Park, and protects an important downstream river system.
The Federation Park Stormwater Upgrade demonstrates how Humes’ engineered stormwater solutions can deliver robust performance, environmental protection, and community benefits through smart retrofitting and proven design.
