Cannery Creek Sewer Upgrade
Cannery Creek is part of a $72 million sewer upgrade in Brisbane’s north-east, in the suburbs of Northgate and Banyo. Co-designed with the community and delivered in partnership with Urban Utilities and Fulton Hogan, the project is reducing wet weather overflows by using a cost-saving, nature-based solution.
A nature-based solution uses ecosystem protection, management and rehabilitation to tackle social, economic and environmental challenges, benefiting both people and nature. This is the first time a project like this has been delivered in South East Queensland.
The proposed benefits and outcomes include a 96% reduction in wet weather overflows, a 92% reduction in Cannery Creek spills, lower wet weather loads on the network and on Queensand’s largest sewage treatment plant: Luggage Point Resource Recovery Centre (RRC). The improved environmental and community outcomes include creek restoration, landscaping and enhanced public amenity.
96
%
proposed reduction in wet weather overflows (from 14 per year on average to one every two years on average)
92
%
proposed reduction in Cannery Creek spills (from eight spills per year on average to one every two years on average)
20
million
dollars saved through nature-based design, minimising impacts on customer bills
A nature-based response that serves the community
During heavy rain, stormwater enters the wastewater network, increasing flows. The new system manages this by:
- diverting mixed wastewater and stormwater from the Virginia Branch Sewer
- screening out particles larger than 6mm that continue to Luggage Point RRC for treatment
- pumping screened flows through a new wet weather pump station and 2km underground pipeline to a 5,100m² constructed wetland and two 2,800m² bioretention basins
- using natural treatment processes to remove sediment and nutrients before discharge to Kedron Brook and Moreton Bay.
At the Cannery Creek site, sediment basins, fish screens, a screening chamber, a weir and the wet weather pump station work together to improve waterway health and support ongoing operations.
Together, these works reduce wet weather overflows, create downstream network capacity, and deliver water quality improvements while restoring and enhancing freshwater and estuarine habitats, including fish passage.
Positive effects of green infrastructure
The project delivers a net improvement in water quality through nutrient and sediment load reduction, restores and enhances freshwater and estuarine habitats, and rehabilitates creek conditions towards a pre-urbanised state, strengthening system resilience.
To enhance public amenity, the project added 60,000m² of creek restoration and landscaping, more than 14,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses planted, and 15,000m² of marine couch, improving connectivity and liveability for neighbouring communities.
The innovative design solution addressed waterways beyond standard state code frameworks, including marine and tidal environments, fish passage and impacts to Ramsar-listed wetlands. The project also established Queensland’s first combined wastewater and stormwater offset discharge licence.
Stakeholder collaboration and early engagement
The project required approvals across 27 regulatory instruments, resulting in approximately 160 permits, and spanned 25 properties across private, state, federal and local government land, including multiple easements.
Queensland’s State Assessment and Referral Agency recognised the proposal as one of the most unique, complex and innovative applications assessed. The licensing strategy followed the Environmental Protection (Water and Wetland Biodiversity) Policy 2019, applying the management hierarchy and nutrient offset mechanisms to mitigate wastewater discharge impacts.
Early and ongoing community engagement, including establishment of a 23-person Community Planning Team, informed business case development, design and construction. Collaboration with The University of Queensland supported development and validation of the bioretention system, complemented by integrated modelling of hydrology, hydraulics, stormwater quality and receiving environments.
Two water quality monitoring programs will validate design assumptions, confirm treatment performance and assess receiving environment impacts. Control system innovations improved redundancy and operational flexibility through adjustable weirs and adaptive pumping, enabling prioritisation of stormwater over wastewater, drought management and optimised treatment performance.
The community planning team during the groundbreaking ceremony
Challenging conventional infrastructure thinking
This project demonstrates how a nature-based solution can improve sewer network performance, deliver better environmental outcomes and create lasting community benefits through restoration, amenity and public realm improvements.
- Queensland’s first combined wastewater and stormwater offset discharge licence
- Significant reduction in sediment and nutrient loads entering Moreton Bay
- 60,000m² of creek restoration and landscaping
- More than 14,000 native trees, shrubs and grasses planted, plus 15,000m² of marine couch
- Reduction in 900 litres per second of wet weather flows in a significant rain event to Luggage Point RRC
- Improved liveability and connectivity through enhanced public amenity
- $20 million saved through nature-based design, minimising impacts on customer bills.
The project enhances the resilience of the local waterway, safeguarding surrounding infrastructure and supporting Brisbane’s adaptation to a changing climate.
Delivering measurable results for community and environment
The Cannery Creek project shows the value of combining wastewater and stormwater management with ecosystem restoration. By embracing collaboration with the community, authorities and regulators, the project has improved network performance, enhanced public amenity and delivered meaningful ecological outcomes for Cannery Creek, Kedron Brook and Moreton Bay.
This solution is the first of its kind in Queensland. Instead of duplicating the pipeline to the treatment plant, we’re diverting flows through wetlands to the river—using targeted infrastructure to achieve strong reductions in nitrogen and suspended solids.
Ongoing water quality testing and plant maintenance, together with detailed monitoring and validation of outcomes, will help inform future applications of nature-based solutions and build confidence in similar approaches.
If you would like to learn more, please visit: Cannery Creek Sewer Upgrade
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