Works at Peck Dam are now complete!

What we did

• New drainage overflow pipe with return stormwater connection at the base of dam wall
• Restoration of the rock work for the rain garden spillway
• New asphalt path connection from Perderson Way to Napier Crescent
• Woody weed control to the dam reserve area
• Repairs to existing staircase on the dam wall close to Pederson Way entrance
• Handrail / barrier fence installation near rain garden
• Removal of short, unused staircase at the North East corner of Pecks Dam
• Repair to the existing wooden bench set on the Northern edge of Pecks Dam
• Installation of reserve interpretive sign on the Northern edge of Pecks Dam seating area
• Planting of low Indigenous species tube stock to the entrance off Pederson Way (mulched area)

Pecks Dam works are now complete and the area is open to the community.

In 2021, a risk assessment was conducted by ENGENY Water Management on behalf of Banyule Council using the Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD) guidelines. The assessment concluded that the dam needed repair.

This project will restore the ageing dam wall structure to reduce water levels, relieve drainage, control potential stormwater surges and take water pressure off the existing dam wall.

Pecks Dam is a 1.04 hectare reserve that is part of a series of smaller reserves in Montmorency that form a habitat corridor. Its main attraction is the dam. It is a mix of conservation and recreation areas, and is managed by Banyule's Bushland Management Unit with assistance from local volunteers.

Water system

The dam is 664m2 and approximately 8m deep when full. Over the years it has been used for swimming, fishing, yabbying and boating.

In 2015, Banyule City Council and Melbourne Water completed a project that uses storm water as a rain garden. Rainwater is collected from the streets above the dam and is filtered through the garden. The goal is to replenish water to the dam, which has suffered from drought and water diversion in the past.

History

During the 1890s, the area was a favourite painting place for Heidelberg School artist Walter Withers.

The dam was dug out in the early 1900s to service the surrounding farmland. It is named after the Peck family who lived in a mud brick house next to the dam from the 1950s to the 1970s.