Wonga Wetlands

The challenge

Downstream of Albury, Wonga Wetlands were developed to receive treated effluent from the city’s wastewater treatment plant, polishing the water and providing habitat, education and recreation opportunities. The challenge was to manage this system so that wastewater reuse, agricultural production and wetland values all reinforced rather than undermined each other, and to demonstrate that a working agricultural landscape could sit comfortably beside a high‑value wetland complex.

Our approach

The management approach treated Wonga and the associated agricultural land as a single, coupled system. On the farming side, crash grazing and pasture improvement systems were designed to make productive use of available water while maintaining soil health and protecting downstream water quality, informed by ongoing agronomic advice and soil testing. On the wetland side, the focus was on maintaining appropriate farming support for water levels, vegetation structure and habitat complexity to encourage birdlife and other fauna, while ensuring that nutrient loads and hydrology from the irrigated areas remained within acceptable bounds. The work emphasised practical, adaptive management: monitoring how the wetlands and pastures responded over time, adjusting water and crash grazing distribution between paddocks and wetlands, and using the site as a demonstration of integrated wastewater reuse, agriculture and biodiversity.

The result

The Wonga model shows how treated municipal effluent needs to be underpinned by both a productive grazing enterprise to support a high‑value wetland system. The need to be managed as one integrated landscape. It delivers multiple benefits: structured nutrient control, reliable water use, while supporting a showcase wetland and education site on the Murray River. This is a tangible example for councils and utilities of how to turn a wastewater liability into a social, environmental and economic asset. This experience now informs thinking about circular‑economy land and water use in the region.

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