Peter Hopper Lake Revitalisation

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The Peter Hopper Lake Revitalisation project was a coordinated effort by multiple stakeholders to restore environmental health and public amenity to the water body in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

Services

Landscape Architecture Water Engineering

Client

City of Whittlesea

Location

Mill Park, VIC

Areal view of Spiire water engineering project Peter Hopper Lake Revitalisation in Mill Park

Spiire’s Water Engineering and Landscape Architecture teams were engaged by the City of Whittlesea (Council) to support its initiative to revitalise Peter Hopper Lake, located within the Redleap Recreation Reserve precinct in Mill Park.

Originally a farm dam prior to the area’s urbanisation in the 1970s, it then became an ornamental lake surrounded by residential development.

Due to insufficient flows from the disproportionately small 25-hectare urban catchment, and the untreated nature of the water source originating from

residential stormwater, the lake’s water quality declined over time as it accumulated high levels of sediment and nutrient pollution. The lake was eventually fenced off from the community, removing a critical green space.

This rehabilitation project sought to create a healthier lake environment by removing the nutrient-laden sediments and introducing a staged purification system, with a focus on sustainably improving its ecology and restoring community value.

Treatment train solution

The solution included constructing a sedimentation basin and 300sqm ‘offline’ raingarden that receives pumped lake water, while also re-designing the inlets and outlets to promote naturalisation while achieving faster water turnover and improved flood mitigation.

It involves a staged treatment system, starting from the re-designed inlet with a gross pollutant trap to screen coarse litter, while allowing for a greater flow volume to enter the lake. A sedimentation basin was constructed within the lake’s footprint, to provide a secondary treatment layer and reduce the lake’s volume, further contributing to faster water turnover.

With no credible option to increase catchment, further measures where required beyond increasing inflows from the existing catchment and reduction in the lake volume. A pumped recirculation system including an offline high flow raingarden system was proposed to mimic a larger catchment and remove pollutants.

The 300sqm raingarden receives pumped lake water for particle filtration and de-nutrification, before draining back into the lake via gravity through a macrophyte zone. This also aids in mixing of the waterbody.

A macrophyte zone of emergent vegetation assists nutrient absorption along the lakes edges with the drop in water level. This also creates a habitat zone typical of the local area. An island that once rose from the centre of the lake was removed to combat the high level of bird droppings that previously contributed to nutrient pollution. This was capped with site won material and planted out with deep water eel grass to support nesting of the avifauna.

Holistic design approach

The first stage of this project explored a range of potential solutions to revitalise the lake, considering efficient methods for improving the water quality while also understanding the lake’s broader community value.

The joint perspective of Spiire’s Water Engineering and Landscape Architecture teams underpinned a comprehensive assessment of the existing conditions and feasibility, guided by Council’s environmental and engineering advice.

Our landscape architects’ perspective highlighted the lake’s contribution to neighbourhood character, such as its visual amenity appearing to float alongside Redleap Avenue, and preserving features of the surrounding landscape including an open lawn for informal recreation near the adjacent playground.

Strong community interest was a driving factor in the design process. Extensive community consultation was integral to ensure alignment with local priorities and ecological requirements. This approach focused on both restoring the lake’s current condition and implementing strategies to safeguard its value and functionality for future generations.

An award-winning project

We’re proud the project was recognised with the Environmental Sustainability Award at the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) Victoria Excellence Awards in 2026.