Herdsman Lake - Gross Pollutant Traps Trail

Gross Pollutant Traps (GPT) are designed to trap plastic, debris, and floating litter bigger than 5 mm and remove it from the water system. Their performance in arterial drainage systems is not studied. Especially operational requirements like maintenance and rubbish disposal requirements are not clearly defined and the lack of this information makes wider acceptance of this method a slow process.

GPT's offer an innovative method to ensure cleaner storm water is present across the network.

Herdsman Lake was chosen for the pollutant traps trial

Aboriginal-owned business Benang Energy has installed three GPT's to drainage inlets and outlets at the lake. This is considered a new way to reduce single-use plastic in waterways.?The GPTs include two floating litter traps on the lake’s western and southern perimeter and a floating litter boom on the northeastern boundary.

This trial also supports the WA Government’s Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030 and complements the election commitment of $13 million by the Western Australian Government to install gross pollutant traps at seven Water Corporation storm drains

The trial will run for a period of two years and will be monitored closely with operational parameters. Following this, a report will be compiled to assess their effectiveness and potential future use by Water Corporation.