Residential development has driven an interest in artificially maintaining water levels in Perry Lakes, at Bold Park. The lakes were naturally seasonal, but declining groundwater levels in the Surficial Aquifer since the 1960s have led to the lakes now being mostly dry.
Various methods of enhancing water levels in the lakes have been modelled by Rockwater, including lining the lake bed with clay, and using infiltration galleries to recharge water from the nearby Subiaco Waste-Water Treatment Plant.
In 2020, Rockwater was engaged by the Town of Cambridge to model how much water from the Herdsman Main Drain would be needed the to maintain water levels at Perry Lakes at a prescribed level.
To develop the Perry Lakes model, we performed a lake-bed bathymetric survey using a DGPS and a small remote-controlled boat equipped with a sonar.
Rockwater has a 5-year partnership with the University of Australia for the supply and development of the remote-controlled boat equipped with a sonar. The system is also capable of surveying small dams and flooded pit voids.
