SA Water has partnered with the District Council of the Copper Coast and the Paskeville Progress Association on a new stormwater project that will see sporting clubs in Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, receive harvested water to irrigate their grounds.
The joint venture is expected to save up to $23,000 in irrigation costs.
The $140,000 project takes water collected from the top of SA Water storage lagoons in Paskeville, transfers it to a 4.5ML on-site storage tank, and then transports it to tanks at the local sports complex via a recently completed pipeline.
The water will be used to irrigate the football oval and bowling green in Paskeville, but will also benefit the local tennis, cricket and netball clubs, as they have a shared budget.
The initiative will begin operating once the storage tank begins to fill with rainwater.
In 2013, the council received a state government grant to investigate how ongoing irrigation costs could be lowered, and this has jointly-funded this stormwater harvesting project.
SA Water Minister Ian Hunter said the project fulfilled an election commitment to reduce watering costs for sports clubs and to ensure communities had the opportunity to participate in their favourite sporting pursuits.
“It uses an otherwise redundant storage tank for a sustainable irrigation supply; to collect, store and reuse stormwater for irrigation is a great example of water management,” Mr Hunter said.
“The water savings generated will provide a wide range of benefits to everyone involved in the sporting clubs, and enable resources to be used elsewhere.
“SA Water, the District Council of the Copper Coast and the Paskeville Progress Association have all persevered throughout this project to deliver real value to the Paskeville community.”
Copper Coast District Council CEO Peter Harder said the project would have a positive impact on the community for many years.
“The sporting precinct is the heart of Paskeville and the surrounding agricultural area, and it is now set up for a long and sustainable future,” Mr Harder said.
