The Overflow | Winter 2023

MAJOR SPONSOR

2023 WATERWISE IRRIGATION EXPO

BETWEEN 7.30AM AND 4.00PM

OPTUS STADIUM, VICTORIA PARK DRIVE, BURSWOOD

IN THIS ISSUE

2023 Waterwise Irrigation Expo delegate prospectus

Gosnells Oval upgrade

Pump upgrade at The Vines Golf Course (Part 2)

Practical ways to use AI in your business

Case Study: Irrigation upgrade for Bunbury Turf Club

Over 6,000 irrigation stations checked!

WEDNESDAY

16TH AUGUST 2023

Waterwise Garden of the Year

So who and what is CropX?

Nutrient management in the colder months

Leading Waterwise Councils crowned

Replenishment project at Perry Lakes Reserve

Monitoring water quality using a Photometer

WA Office Staff

Tracy Martin - National Membership & Regions Manager tracy.martin@irrigation.org.au

Rebecca New - WA Projects Officer rebecca.new@irrigation.org.au

Judy Clarke - Administrative Support adminsupport@irrigation.org.au

The Overflow is the quarterly publication of Irrigation Australia (WA Region). Articles published are views expressed by the authors. IAL(WA) is not responsible for their accuracy and disclaims any liability which may arise from any person acting on the materials contained within. Editorial content does not necessarily represent the views or policy of Irrigation Australia (WA Region)

Publisher/Editor: IAL WA Region, PO Box 3401 Success, WA 6964 Tel: (08) 6263 7774

U P C O M I N G T R A I N I N G P R O G R A M S

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1 1 t h - 1 4 t h U r b a n I r r i g a t i o n D e s i g n

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2 5 t h - 2 8 t h C o m m e r c i a l I r r i g a t i o n D e s i g n

C e r t i f i c a t e I I I i n I r r i g a t i o n T e c h n o l o g y W A I n t a k e

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I r r i g a t i o n A u d i t o r

2 2 n d - 2 4 t h S t o r a g e M e t e r I n s t a l l a t i o n & V a l i d a t i o n

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I r r i g a t i o n P u m p s & S y s t e m s

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C e r t i f i c a t e I I I i n I r r i g a t i o n T e c h n o l o g y Q L D I n t a k e

E l e c t r o f u s i o n & B u t t W e l d i n g

Chairperson's Report

Alison Waters

Welcome to the Winter edition of The Overflow

We had great attendance at our member event at The Vines golf course. Members got to hear from Brad Golf Course Superintendent and Rick from Western Irrigation on the logistics of replacing the componentry of the pump shed and we got to have a look its impressive features.

Perth Garden festival was held in early May and I attended on the first day. It was great to see Water Corporation and Kings Park engaging with the attendees. A number of display gardens were present demonstrating waterwise landscaping principles.

I attended a turf innovation seminar and took a number of key messages from biodiversity manager Monina at Glenelg Golf course in South Australia. The concept presented was that golf courses should represent biodiversity hubs and treated as a sanctuary for local plants, animals and insects. Monina has conducted a population survey of all the insects and animals at the golf course. They have redesigned holes to irrigate where it is required and landscaped non playing areas with local plants. They have harvested seed, grown local plants and planted them on the roughs without irrigation.

City of Kwinana held a technology day where we heard about the next revolution to the machinery industry being electric equipment such as trucks, excavators, ride on mowers, chainsaws and more. It was great to see the industry get together to discuss the rollout of these products and then to go out in the field and have a go. One supplier demonstrated their electric transfer pump, stick transfer pump and electric reciprocating saw with blades suitable for cutting roots. All great tools for irrigation lateral repairs.

DWER has released a guideline for spring exemptions. This guideline enables land owners to conduct a self assessment to determine if they can harvest additional groundwater from waterbodies on their property. For more information on this guideline, click here.

See you at the Waterwise Expo in August.

Alison Waters IAL (WA) Industry Chairperson

From the CEO

Dave Cameron

Greetings again,

I reflected in a recent introduction to our Journal for Irrigation Professionals on some of our current priorities and won’t repeat them here. I’ve been lucky to attend a few recent presentations to help inform our organisation’s strategic direction recently as well as a brief visit to AWA’s Ozwater Conference and Hort Connections for the duration. Both very different events with roughly equal delegate numbers at around 3,000 and a lot to learn. It has been surprisingly easy to meet people who know people and I have plenty of things to follow up.

We have recently appointed a new full-time junior trainer based in Brisbane – I’ll leave the details until he’s commenced to avoid jinxing anything – and continue to talk to a number of potential contract trainers nationally. I am particularly looking forward to a membership review commencing in June which will likely incorporate changes to the Centre of Irrigation Excellence model, as we strive to increase the value we deliver to members. We have a surge of renewals at this time of year and have been careful to avoid increasing membership fees; there will be some unavoidable changes to training course rates for the new financial year. We are also starting to log an impressive list of wins – major improvements to our customer service and response times, commencement of several reviews seeing improvements to Certification and training programs. We are also trialling a bit of team building/ coaching in mid-June as we seek to take stock of a fair bit of change in organisation and keep the continuous improvement ball rolling.

I’m really looking forward to what’s shaping up to be a fantastic Waterwise Expo in August, with acknowledgements to the very hard work of Tracy and team. There is an awful lot that goes on behind the scenes and winter illnesses have made it an extrachallenging time to deliver.

Dave Cameron IAL Chief Executive Officer

Regional Update

By Tracy Martin, National Membership & Regions Manager & Rebecca New, WA Projects Officer

Welcome to the Winter edition of The Overflow magazine.

Winter has certainly arrived in the first week or so of June with temperatures plummeting and good rainfall received across the Perth Metro region and beyond. The WA Regional Committee continues to meet monthly to review regional activities and ensure they align with our stakeholder’s (Department of Water & Environmental Regulation and Water Corporation) KPIs.

The final Irrigation Efficiency course will be delivered to eligible Waterwise Councils in August as part of the Waterwise Council Training Program.

Irrigation Australia (WA Region) continues to identify appropriate community events to deliver Waterwise Garden Workshops. These workshops deliver education on a variety of topics such as:

• Irrigation System

• Know your soil type

• Understanding your plants

• Turf – choice of variety is important

We will be delivering workshops at the upcoming Kalamunda Garden Festival in both September and December. Hope to see you there.

The WA Region will be exhibiting at the Western Australia Horticulture Update hosted by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development on 31st October and 1st November 2023. With an expected audience covering primary producers, wholesale market agents, farm advisors and industry stakeholders, this opportunity provides Irrigation Australia a captive audience to

promote the membership services and training opportunities that the industry body delivers.

2023 Waterwise Irrigation Expo

The 2023 Waterwise Irrigation Expo will be held at Optus Stadium on Wednesday 16th August. Be sure to view the full Delegate Prospectus to learn what the day’s learning outcomes can provide – see pages 5 – 9.

There are a few exhibitor booths remaining at this prestigious event. If you want to showcase and promote your products and services to a wide audience such as local government, landscape, turf, retailers, installers and contractors, then download the Exhibitor Prospectus here to learn more and secure your space.

Waterwise

The Winter Sprinkler Switch-off is now in place and is mandatory for all scheme and bore water users in Perth, Mandurah, and some parts of the South West and Great Southern for both businesses and households. The switch-off runs throughout winter from 1 June to 31 August every year and helps save precious water for when its needed most.

The start of Winter also signalled the end of Water Corporation’s initiative for the Weather-Based Irrigation Controller Rebate. This initiative was available to Water Corporation customers that wanted to help save water in the garden and were exclusively available for customers to engage with members endorsed in the Waterwise Programs. We look forward to discussing the feedback from this initiative in due course.

Exciting developments are underway with Water Corporation preparing to introduce initiatives to help residential water customers adapt their outdoor water use in the face of climate change. Details are yet to be finalised, but we understand initiatives will be available to customers only through the Waterwise members, providing an opportunity for customer education around the water-efficiency message.

Random audits for both the Waterwise Irrigation Design Shops and Waterwise Garden Irrigator Program audits have now been completed. These have proven to be a positive undertaking for both the Program Administrator and members. The Waterwise Programs are a key part of Irrigation Australia’s efforts to encourage the development of knowledge and skills in water use efficiency, assisting our industry and its members (and broader society) to survive and thrive in a drying climate.

Whilst Winter means a slower period for the industry, it is a great opportunity to invest in staffs’ professional development with the Waterwise training. Members of the Waterwise Programs now have access to Water Corporation’s Customer Essentials online training module and Irrigation Australia encourages its members to undertake this training to complete the required professional development task to ensure they are eligible for re-endorsement. The training provides members with valuable strategies to positively engage with customers in their dayto-day business, to build trust and rapport and achieve the maximum level of customer satisfaction to encourage repeat business and wordof-mouth recommendations.

2023 WATERWISE IRRIGATION EXPO

D E L E G A T E P R O S P E C T U S

B E T W E E N

7 . 3 0 A M A N D 4 . 0 0 P M

O P T U S S T A D I U M , V I C T O R I A P A R K D R I V E , B U R S W O O D

W E D N E S D A Y

16TH AUGUST 2023

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W e l c o m e - C i t y o f C o c k b u r n - A l i s o n W a t e r s , W A C h a i r

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- M i n i s t e r f o r W a t e r - H o n S i m o n e M c G u r k , M L A

- D e p t o f W a t e r & E n v i r o n m e n t a l R e g u l a t i o n – M i c h e l l e A n d r e w s , D G

- W a t e r C o r p o r a t i o n – P a t D o n o v a n , C E O

- I r r i g a t i o n A u s t r a l i a – D a v i d C a m e r o n , C E O

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u n i f o r m i t y – S t a d i u m & C o m m u n i t y F a c i l i t i e s

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A n d i t s a v e s y o u w a t e r i n t h e p r o c e s s .

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A P T W a t e r i s t h e W A s t a t e d i s t r i b u t o r f o r l e a d i n g b r a n d s L o w a r a , P e d r o l l o , a n d g l o b a l d i s t r i b u t o r f o r P e r m a g l a s s R e c e n t l y A P T W a t e r w e r e a p p o i n t e d W A d i s t r i b u t o r s f o r F i l t e r s a f e a ut o m a t i c s c r e e n f i l t e r s a n d A z u d d i s c f i l t e r s W e o f f e r p u m p s a n d p u m p i n g a n d f i l t r a t i o n s y s t e m s f o r r e s i d e n t i a l t o l a r g e c o m m e r c i a l a n d a g r i c u l t u r a l i r r i g a t i o n a p p l i c a t i o n s O u r t e a m h a s g r o w n a g a i n a n d w i t h e x c i t i n g d e v e l o p m e n t s i n t h e n e a r f u t u r e , A P T W a t e r i s p o i s e d t o c o n t i n u e a n d e n h a n c e o u r l e v e l o f e x p e r i e n c e a n d c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e . I n d u s t r y l e a d i n g g r o u p C a p r a r i p r o v i d e s h i g h p e r f o r m a n c e p u m p s o l ut i o n s f o r t h e i n t e g r a t e d w a t e r c y c l e , o p e r a t i n g w o r l d w i d e O u r p r o d u c t i o n c o v e r s a w i d e r a n g e o f p u m p s a n d e l e c t r i c m o t o r s , m e e t i n g t h e h i g h e s t s t a n d a r d o f q u a l i t y , p e r f o r m a n c e a n d s u s t a i n a b i l i t y A d e l a i d e b a s e d a s s e m b l y a n d s t o c k f a c i l i t i e s o f f e r a c o m p l e t e a n d r e s p o n s i v e s u p p o r t t o a l l o u r A u s t r a l i a n a n d N e w Z e a l a n d c u s t o m e r s .

W h e t h e r i t i s f o r w a t e r i n g t h e g r e e n o r t h e g r o u n d s , t r i e d a n d t e s t e d G r u n d f o s p u m p s d e l i v e r u n e q u a l l e d r e l i a b i l i t y a n d s u p e r i o r e f f i c i e n c y , e v e r y t i m e A s a g l o b a l m a n u f a c t u r e r w i t h d e c a d e s o f i n n o v a t i v e p u m p s y s t e m d e s i g n e x p e r i e n c e , G r u n d f o s P um p s o f f e r t h e i n d u s t r y ’ s b r o a d e s t l i n e o f p u m p i n g s y s t e m s t o m e e t r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r r e d u c i n g e n e r g y c o s t s , s a f e g u a r d i n g w a t e r r e s o u r c e s a n d k e e p i n g p r o d u c t i v i t y a t i t s b e s t .

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A J O R S P O N S O R

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K I S T E R S i s a r e n o w n e d i n t e r n a t i o n a l o r g a n i s a t i o n d e d i c a t e d t o t r a n s f o r m i n g t h e w a t e r , w e at h e r , e n e r g y , a n d I T s e c t o r s W i t h o v e r 6 0 y e a r s i n e n v i r o n m e n t a l m o n i t o r i n g , w e a r e a l e a d i n g p r o v i d e r o f h y d r o l o g i c a l a n d m e t e o r o l o g i c a l e q u i p m e n t . C o l l a b o r a t i n g w i t h g o v e r n m e n t s a n d e n v i r o n m e n t a l c o n s u l t a n c i e s w o r l d w i d e , w e s t r i v e t o e n h a n c e t h e c o l l e c t i o n , m e a s u r e m e n t a n d r e p o r t i n g o f e n v i r o n m e n t a l d a t a

A t P h i l m a c i t a l l s t a r t e d w i t h a t a l e n t e d e n g i n e e r , " M a c " P h i l l i p s w h o w a s a m a n u n a f r a i d o f t a k i n g r i s k s a n d d r i v e n b y t h e p h i l o s o p h y t h a t t h e r e i s a l w a y s a b e t t e r w a y t o d o t h i n g s . P h i l m a c i s t h e o n l y m a n u f a c t u r e r o f c o m p r e s s i o n f i t t i n g s i n A u s t r a l i a . T h e y a r e u s e d f o r a p p l i c a t i o n s r a n g i n g f r o m p l u m b i n g a n d g a s f i t t i n g , t o m u n i c i p a l s y s t e m s , l i v e s t o c k w a t e r c o n t r o l , i r r i g a t i o n , i n d u s t r y a n d m i n i n g P h i l m a c ' s g r o w t h h a s b e e n a c h i e v e d b y a c o m m i t m e n t t o c o n t i n u o u s i m p r o v e m e n t i n q u a l i t y , pr o d u c t d e s i g n , d i s t r i b u t i o n a n d c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e .

K R O H N E i s a w o r l d - l e a d i n g m a n u f a c t u r e r a n d s u p p l i e r o f s o l u t i o n s i n i n d u s t r i a l p r o c e s s i n s t r u m e nt a t i o n W e o f f e r h i g h q u a l i t y a n d r e l e v a n t f i e l d i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n i n a l l t h e m a i n i n s t r u m e n t d i s c i p l i n e s i n c l u d i n g F l o w , L e v e l , P r e s s u r e , T e m p e r a t u r e , a n d O t h e r s . O u r p r o d u c t p o r t f o l i o c o v e r s t h e e n t i r e r a n g e o f m e a s u r e m e n t a n d a n a l y s i s t e c h n o l o g y , f r o m i n d i v i d u a l m e a s u r i n g s t a t i o n s t o c o m p l e t e s y s t e m s o l u t i o n s L a n d & W a t e r T e c h n o l o g y h a v e o v e r 2 0 + y e a r s o f e x p e r i e n c e i n w a t e r e n g i n e e r i n g s o l u t i o n s O ur s p e c i a l i s e d t e a m h a s p i o n e e r e d a c h e m i c a l - f r e e b o r e w a t e r i r o n r e d u c t i o n s y s t e m a t o u r h e a d q u a r t e r s i n M a l a g a W i t h e x p e r t i s e i n d e s i g n , i n s t a l l a t i o n , a n d s e r v i c i n g , o u r d e d i c a t e d t e a m w i l l p r o v i d e c o m p r e h e n s i v e s u p p o r t t h r o u g h o u t t h e e n t i r e p r o c e s s

A t R a i n B i r d , w e b e l i e v e i t o u r r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o d e v e l o p p r o d u c t s a n d t e c h n o l o g i e s t h a t u s e w a t e r e f f i c i e n t l y O u r c o m m i t m e n t a l s o e x t e n d s e d u c a t i o n , t r a i n i n g a n d s e r v i c e s f o r o u r i n d u s t r y a n d o u r c o m m u n i t i e s T h e n e e d t o c o n s e r v e w a t e r h a s n e v e r b e e n g r e a t e r . W e w a n t t o d o e v e n m o r e , a n d w i t h y o u r he l p w e c a n

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S t a r t i n g i n I s r a e l , R i v u l i s h a s g r o w n o v e r t h e y e a r s t o b e c o m e a g l o b a l i r r i g a t i o n l e a d e r , e x p a n d i n g o u r d r i p i r r i g a t i o n a n d m i c r o i r r i g a t i o n

c a p a b i l i t i e s , m a r k e t c o v e r a g e a n d o p e r a t i o n a l s c a l e t h r o u g h t h e m e r g e r o f f i v e l e a d i n g p l a y e r s : P l a s t r o , T - S y s t e m s , R o b e r t s I r r i g a t i o n , E u r o d r i p a n d N a a n D a n J a i n

N e l s o n A u s t r a l i a i s a l e a d i n g A u s t r a l i a n d i s t r i b u t o r o f t e c h n i c a l l y a d v a n c e d i r r i g a t i o n e q u i p m e n t . T h e c o m b i n a t i o n o f s u p e r i o r p r o d u c t s a n d e x t e n s i v e i n d u s t r y k n o w l e d g e , a l l o w s N e l s o n t o p r o v i d e t h e b e s t p o s s i b l e i r r i g a t i o n s o l u t i o n s N e l s o n e q u i p m e n t i s f o r o p e r a t o r s w h o r e q u i r e p r o f e s s i o n a l q u a l i t y a n d r e l i a b i l i t y L o o k i n g f o r w a r d t o s e e i n g a t t h e I A L E x p o 2 0 2 3

T o r o A u s t r a l i a i s a w h o l l y o w n e d s u b s i d i a r y o f T h e T o r o C o m p a n y T h e T o r o C o m p a n y w a s f o u n d e d i n 1 9 1 4 t o b u i l d t r a c t o r e n g i n e s I t h as b e c o m e a l e a d i n g w o r l d w i d e p r o v i d e r o f t u r f a n d l a n d s c a p e m a i n t e n a n c e e q u i p m e n t a n d p r e c i s i o n i r r i g a t i o n s y s t e m s .

T o r o A u s t r a l i a ’ s o r i g i n s b e g a n i n 1 9 2 5 , w h e n P o p e S p r i n k l e r s a n d I r r i g a t i o n w a s f o u n d e d T o d a y T o r o i s a l e a d i n g s u p p l i e r o f i r r i g a t i o n p r o d u c t s t o t h e l a n d s c a p e , a g r i c u l t u r a l , t u r f c a r e a n d d o m e s t i c g a r d e n m a r k e t s . T h i s i s

c o m p l e m e n t e d b y a n e x p a n s i v e r a n g e o f m o w e r s a n d t u r f c a r e e q u i p m en t t h a t c a t e r s f o r g o l f , t u r f , s p o r t s f i e l d s a n d g r o u n d s , p r o f e s s i o n a l l a n d s c a p e c o n t r a c t o r , r e s i d e n t i a l a n d h i r e a n d r e n t a l m a r k e t s

M i l w a u k e e T o o l , f o u n d e d i n 1 9 2 4 , i s a g l o b a l l e a d e r i n d e l i v e r i n g i n n o v a t i v e s o l u t i o n s t o t h e p r o f e s s i o n a l t r a d e s t h a t o f f e r i n c r e a s e d p r o d u c t i v i t y a n d u n m a t c h e d e f f i c i e n c y . ”

W a t e r C o r p o r a t i o n p r o v i d e s w a t e r , w a s t e w a t e r a n d d r a i n a g e s e r v i c e s a c r o s s W A W e w o r k c l o s e l y w i t h i r r i g a t i o n s p e c i a l i s t s a n d m a n u f a c t u r e r s t h r o u g h a v a r i e t y o f p r o g r a m s t o s u p p o r t t h e i n d u s t r y a n d s t a t e t o s t a y

W a t e r w i s e .

Gosnells Oval Upgrade

The City of Gosnells adopted the Gosnells Oval Master Plan in 2021, to create an improved community space and enhance the sporting future of the oval. It includes a new all-abilities playground, sports pavilion, improvements to the grandstand and upgrades to landscaping, the oval’s playing surface and car park. Prior to the adoption of the master plan, irrigation and drainage systems were due for replacement as originally installed before 1965 and were unable to cope with significant rains. The tender was put out by The City of Gosnells and later awarded to NewGround Water Services.

Originally established a century ago, the oval is currently used each winter by the City of Gosnells Football and Sports Club for amateur football where athletics meet, and community events are also held. As the surrounding population grows, the usage of the site and its surrounds is changing, so the oval and the spaces around it need to be updated.

The first stage of the master plan included the reconstruction of the oval with the replacement of 2.5 hectares of subsoil drainage, iron filtration system and enclosure, infield irrigation, 400mm of new growing medium and new turf, all with a forecasted completion date at the end of March 2023.

To ensure there was minimal disruption to the Football and other sporting groups, NewGround Water Services alongside Sports Turf Construction (STC) in early November 2022 broke ground on their first sporting oval reconstruction and the Gosnells Football Oval makeover was underway. The diverse irrigation, engineering and water project expertise of NewGround Water Services coupled with STC’s quality products, equipment, and skilled construction personnel all united under the NWG Enterprises Pty Ltd group of companies meant NewGround was in a unique position to offer a “One Stop Shop” service to the City of Gosnells. This took having to deal with multiple contractors for various aspects

of the project out of the equation and streamlining the experience from start to finish.

The irrigation bore, installed in 1984, had been renewed by drilling a new hole in 2006. The fibrocement mainline irrigation system had been installed in 1983 and did not water the playing surface evenly, resulting in over-watering in some areas to ensure the entire playing surface remained suitable for football.

To meet groundwater licence requirements and address community expectations, while providing an excellent playing surface for sports and community events, the 2.5ha oval needed to be waterwise.

The initial design parameters were prohibitively expensive and the scope was amended to reduce the depth of excavation. Instead of excavation 300mm deep, replaced by 600mm of growing medium, the amended depth allowed excavation 200mm deep and installation of 400mm growing medium.

Article supplied by City of Gosnells, NewGround Water Services and Mineral Magic

The outline of works included:

• Supply and install sub-soil drainage

• Supply and install irrigation system

• Supply and install all specified irrigation components

• Supply and install turf

• Suitably protect all trees and tree roots during all works

• Remove and dispose of all waste and debris resulting from works and reinstate the site

• All hardware testing and adjustments associated with the work provided, required to achieve effective irrigation

The drainage, irrigation and oval resurfacing needed to be completed during a six-month window from 3 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, to ensure the field was ready for football training and games in April 2023.

By mid-November 2022 the project was in full swing with the removal of existing turf completed and the new subsoil drainage was starting to go in. Towards the end of November, the weather started heating up and just like us humans needing to stay hydrated so did Gosnells Oval, the water trucks were called in to keep on top of ground hydration ready for turf, management of the dust suppression for the local community and infill consolidation.

By Christmas 2022 the subsoil drainage and infield irrigation were complete, irrigation commenced the first week back in the new year and turf was

being laid in early February 2023. The reconstruction of Gosnells Oval was a bit of a test case for NewGround Water Services and STC as it was the first opportunity, they had to use a new to market product called Mineral Magic on one of their larger projects. Having used the product previously on some smaller projects and seeing its use elsewhere by others, they knew this would be right for this project. Mineral Magic is a water retention agent which provides the soil and turf with the much-needed nutrients a sporting facility of this size needed. As the project progressed, it quickly became clear that the experience, and skill put in by all involved had put the project ahead of schedule meaning the reconstruction of Gosnells Oval was completed and ready for handover back to the City of Gosnells in the first week of March 2023. This put the project almost 1 month ahead of schedule, ensuring the new oval was ready for the Gosnells Hawks Football Club’s first game in mid-April.

The site had areas of sting nematode occupation and the City of Gosnells had successfully continued to treat these areas as per our normal sting nematode response.

The completion of the drainage, irrigation and resurfacing of the playing

field was part of the first stage of Gosnells Oval Master Plan, which will redevelop not only the oval itself but the surrounding areas in stages over multiple years. Works planned on the site for 2023/24 include an all-abilities playground, car park upgrades and fencing improvements.

Part 2

Pump upgrade at The Vines Golf Course

Article supplied by The Vines Golf Course and Western Irrigation

In the Autumn edition of The Overflow, we provided an introductory article on the Pump station upgrade at The Vines Resort. To read this article, please click here

Original Pump Station

The original pump station was constructed in 1987 using old Southern cross pumps in a dry well, with suction fed from the wet well, separated by a wall. The wet well measures 6m deep x 7m long x 2m wide and is fed by 2 x 450mm balance pipes from the lake. The pump station’s electrical board was a custom-made PLC unit to

control the pumps. Due to the age of the equipment, the pumps over time had become loud, inefficient and had developed other operational issues.

The pump station is located adjacent to the 18th hole on the lakes course which is out of the area of play, however due to the unique layout of the course there are residents living within proximity to,

and even adjacent to the pump shed. In recent times, some residents have complained about the noise of the old pumps, so to rectify this, greenkeeping staff installed mats to try and muffle the sound.

The declining and inefficient pumps have also meant that there was a constant cycling operation which caused a lot of water hammer.

Brad Pavlinovich the Golf Course Superintendent recalls: “I’ll never forget, it was New Year’s Eve and I got an alert advising that the system went out due to low pressure causing a main line break. Once it was fixed, I drove home and as I got home, another alert came through and I just knew it was yet another main line break. The main line is 150mm and it was caked in iron bacteria, together with cycling pumps contributed to around 5 mainline breaks a week”.

The Consultation

The Vines resort engaged Western Irrigation to create a design for a completely new irrigation system. This included a new pump station, a full new state-of-the-art irrigation system, all valve-in-head sprinklers with hard edges to define the course with a central control and weather station. The criteria was based on a requirement for water efficiency to fit within their water allocation and be able to complete a nights watering in under 8 hours for power savings.

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Rick Charles, Senior Designer and Project Manager for Western Irrigation, walked the course numerous times with Brad discussing items on the wish list. Eventually, they agreed to a waterefficient irrigation design and pump station with a minimum flow of 120lps to meet the watering window. Rick in the design process worked out that, “the pumps have to carry water a fair distance from the pump shed to the furthest hole, which is approximately 5 km”. Rick also advised that Western Irrigation could design a custom-made shed and overall pump station shelter specifically tailored to the site.

It was agreed at this point to design the pump station in its existing location

because it had adequate shade, and natural airflow, didn’t interrupt play and a significant portion of civil works would not be required as the existing infrastructure could be used.

Brad confirmed that “the key to the project is to deliver on time as we have a number of upcoming member events, functions, and corporate events that require the course to be functional to proceed”.

The Design

The initial thought was to look at a CR pump set or a submersible pump station. During the consultation, there were discussions regarding maintenance, noise factor, and the

overall footprint of the installation. The CR unit has a large footprint and would be difficult to fit into the dry well with filters. The unit would also be difficult to remove from a maintenance point of view it was not practical.

Other factors reviewed in the design process included the condition of both the dry and wet wells. The decision was made to keep most of the new discharge headwork within the dry well so it could all be housed within the shed. This would also prove to be more cost-effective as it wouldn’t require filters to be put into another dry well. Divers were engaged to inspect the overall condition of the wet well. A new wet well was considered but with a high-water table, the cost of dewatering would be expensive. With further investigation and viewing the existing drawings, it was confirmed that the existing wells were well structured and would make a good prospect for the design.

Rick advised that “the wet well was made to last as it was made from thick reinforced concrete. We had it inspected as we wanted all the components to work. We used due diligence so the pumps would perform as forecasted. We didn’t want to install a system that had any elements that wouldn’t perform optimally. The groundwater level is also very high on site so if we had to construct a new one, there would be a lot of dewatering which increases project costs.”

The final design included 3 x 55kw Grundfos submersible VFP pumps, 1 x 11kw Grundfos submersible jockey VFP pump, and 1x 18.5kw Grundfos fountain pump. All pumps would be on stainless steel columns with galvanised steel discharge leading into a 350mm galvanised steel discharged system. Other items included 2 x 200mm filtawork filters, pressure sustaining valve, a pressure relief valve, and mag flow. The pumping system is controlled by the Grundfos CU352 control system complimented with a PLC, and all are housed within the cabinets. The inside of the pump shed was designed to make the most efficient use of the existing space to fit all the new componentry.

Rick confirmed, “With all this equipment, we needed to make sure that the wet well would work with the demand we would be putting on it. So, we brought in a large diesel pump together with the existing Southern Cross pumps and tested the wet well. We pumped the well to just over 150lps and had a drawdown of only 70mm, which proved to us that what we theorised could be put into practice.”

Brad indicated that the site is subject to several power outages in the area as they are on an old power grid. The decision to include a 450Kva genset for backup power was incorporated as part of the scope to ensure the system could continue to run if there was a power outage. Brad mentioned that it was a great addition to the course to have this as part of the scope of works, as it increases the reliability to irrigate a large site in the peak season and reduces the risk of unreliable power.

The shed has been designed for cooling effects from natural air which is why the electrical cabinets have been located outside. A lean-to off the main shed was also incorporated in the design to reduce heat and damage to the cabinets.

The Vines have chosen a Rainbird IC central control system to accommodate the new irrigation

system of the 36 holes. The mainline and laterals will be poly-installed using all valve in head sprinklers. The proposed mainline is 450mm at the source then reduces to 400mm main line for approximately 2 holes on either side of the pump station and then 355mm the rest of the course to create a ringmain.

Construction

The majority of the construction of the pump station is now complete and operational however there are still plans for minor future works. The pump station’s construction took over six months from April to October 2022 while the course continued to be irrigated using the old system. In

November 2022 the system was fully commissioned in preparation for the upcoming peak summer season.

The Vines Resort and Western Irrigation have developed a great working relationship scoping and installing this project. This is a significant project and investment in infrastructure for The Vines Resort in the hope that they have a 30 year asset life out of the new system. Western Irrigation was recommended to them as the leader in the irrigation industry. Brad advised, “They have worked very cohesively with us and delivered a custom irrigation system fit for purpose. We run a complex, busy site over a large area and need to make sure what we get will deliver.”

Construction of the irrigation system commenced in April 2023 and is expected to be completed within 12 months for the first 18 holes to be installed. Articles on the replacement of the irrigation system across the 36 holes will be included in future editions of The Overflow.

Practical ways to use AI in your business

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world, the latest advances in tech seeing the rise of tools such as ChatGPT, Jasper, Canva Magic and more. While it’s unlikely that AI will replace anyone’s jobs in the near future, as a small business owner you may be curious to learn how you can utilise its potential in your business to:

• increase productivity by completing tasks in less time

• improve the quality of output, or

• provide expertise that may not currently exist.

Mark Kostner, a Senior Business Adviser for the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC), a WA Government agency that provides practical support to small businesses, shared his top five ways you can use AI in your business.

1. To summarise complex ideas

Maximising productivity and time

management is often a top priority for time-pressed business owners, but staying on top of new developments can eat into your time.

“Instead of spending hours reading up on a topic, I often ask an AI such as ChatGPT if it knows the topic and what it knows about it,” said Mark. “I’ll also ask it to summarise the main points and to provide me with action steps I could implement.”

This technique could apply to learning more about any area of business, new developments in your industry, global trends in a field or the technical side of how something works, to gain an edge in your business while making the most of your time.

2. To write formulas and code

Most business owners use spreadsheets, formulas or code in some way. AI can help you to get the

most from your calculations by using it to:

• explain or create Excel formulas

• find errors in your formulas, and

• write code for your website.

If you're having trouble figuring out the right formula for your spreadsheet, this can be a timesaver. Be as clear and precise as possible in your instructions, to get reliable results.

3. To improve and analyse your customer data

Another application for AI is for processing data, such as customer survey results. SBDC Adviser Mark has used this capability in his own digital marketing business.

“Normally, when we do a customer survey, we would only include multiple choice options as it usually takes way too many resources to process openended questions,” explained Mark.

“This time, we opted for open-ended questions and dropped the 450 different responses we received into an AI. We asked it to analyse the data, group the data in themes and list them in order from most to least common. It did all of that in under one minutesomething which would normally have taken many hours of work!”

4. To streamline your processes

Do you have a process that takes a long time to complete?

AI could help evaluate your process and develop a refinement to deliver the same outcome in less time. Mark used this technique to halve the time one of his business processes took from 20 to 10 hours.

“The AI asked a series of questions, then provided me with a written document outlining the steps we should take, tools we should use and then step-by-step instructions for each point in the process. This was all done in under 20 minutes,”.

“Just the day before I developed a process for a different workflow which took me over seven hours to develop,” said Mark.

5. To communicate with your customers

While there’s no replacement for human connection, you can use AI to communicate with your customers

in a way that suits your business and maximised your resources. Some applications include:

• drafting proposals

• creating email responses

• as a chatbot to provide a 24/7 response on your website

• writing a series of posts for your social media.

Does AI have potential for your business?

While it’s not a simple solution for everything you need to do, AI tools certainly have the potential to increase

productivity by reducing the time taken to complete tasks and improving the output in your small business.

If you’d like to learn more about the different tools and techniques available to assist your business, check out the SBDC’s range of practical business workshops, subsidised by the State Government to help small businesses start well, survive and thrive.

You can view a list of current workshops at https://www.smallbusiness.wa.gov. au/workshops.

CASE STUDY: Massive irrigation upgrade for Bunbury Turf Club

Bunbury Turf Club recently undertook a major project, including a new irrigation system and drainage, to enable yearround racing. The irrigation design was completed by Ben Chapman from Water Equipment Technology, and the installation by Think Water Bunbury. This article describes the irrigation design and installation for this huge $25 million project.

Bunbury Turf Club is one of the largest provincial race clubs in WA and is strategically important for the industry’s sustainability and growth. It is the biggest training hub outside of Perth and supports the livelihood of some 50 trainers.

The club’s managers had long held ambitions of year-round racing, but winter flooding due to a high-water table restricted the season to six months of the year, and significant work was needed to overcome this problem.

Alex Doble, club manager, explained, “Our key objective was to transform the venue into a year-round racetrack. Irrigation is obviously a critical element of our operation, and having a fully automated efficient irrigation system is key for us.

“Just as important is looking after our local participants, we were in dire need of upgraded training facilities.”

The time came to undertake this work in 2021. By this point, the infrastructure was aging, and both the tracks and the irrigation system needed upgrades. This was no mean feat, because to get away from the water table, the tracks first had to be raised by a metre in height. The scale of the project meant that the racetrack had to be closed for 2 full seasons.

The project included the construction of a new 20 m wide all-weather-turf course proper, a new 17 m wide sand/ fibre training track, new drainage across both tracks, a new automated

irrigation system across all tracks, and new horse stalls.

Installation in five stages

The work began with the construction of a new bore in November 2021, and continued through to October 2022.

Michael Sanders from Think Water Bunbury explained that the team tackled the installation in five stages. The first four stages focussed on the main grass track, which was divided into four quadrants, or zones, that were worked on sequentially. The fifth involved installing the system for the sand fibre track.

For each stage of the grass track, the top layer of the previous grass track was removed, the new irrigation system installed, and the new layer of grass was then put down over the top. Each zone was completed with sprinklers operational via the control system before the team moved on to the next zone. This allowed the sprinklers to be used for dust suppression during

construction. The work on the five zones were completed over six months.

Some 4,500 m of 125 mm PE mainline was needed for the inside and outside of the main grass track, and 1,700 m of 110 mm PE mainline for the inside of the sand fibre track. For each zone for both grass and sand tracks, the team took the following steps before moving on to the next zone:

• Used an excavator to dig approximately 400 to 600 m long trench on the outside of the track.

• Installed mainline pipe and welded pipe together.

• Installed the control cable then sprinkler assemblies.

• Pressure-tested the system to test for leaks, then ran sprinklers manually to check they were operational.

• Connected control cable to sprinkler assemblies and tested for correct operation.

• Backfilled the trench.

• Tested the sprinklers via the controller.

This process was the repeated for the inside of track on same zone before moving on to the next zone and running through the same process.

Pump shed

While the installation was underway, the old pump shed was decommissioned and a replacement constructed. Within the pump shed, the team installed:

• a 45 L/sec Grundfos Hydro MPC Pump unit with three main pumps and one jacking pump. The system included variable frequency drives.

• a Filtaworx 150mm fully automatic self-clean filter

“Our key objective was to transform the venue into a year-round racetrack. Irrigation is obviously a critical element of our operation, and having a fully automated efficient irrigation system is key for us.”

• a 150 mm Magflo water meter

• a Grundfos DDA dosing pump for fertigation

• a Rainbird Stratus 2, two-wire control system, which will eventually be moved to another location as directed by Turf Club.

Sprinklers

Irrigation designer Ben Chapman explained, “It’s critical that racetracks perform well in wet conditions. Many are constructed with sand, which obviously drains fast, so the irrigation system needs to be spot on. Irrigation uniformity is critical, not only to ensure even turf growth and health but also to set a constant soil moisture level for horse safety.”

While many tracks are irrigated from the inside rail only, Ben says that newer tracks are irrigated from both the inside and outside rail, which maximises uniformity and keeps the water in the profile; this is the approach that Ben used for Bunbury.

For the grass track, 250 Rain Bird Eagle 950 valve-in-head sprinklers were installed under the rail on the inside and outside rails, with the back of the sprinkler in line with the rail posts.

Some 200 Rainbird 8005 Sprinklers were installed in two rows on the sand fibre track. This track requires consistent dampness due to the nature of the sand that it’s constructed from as well as to prevent excessive dust.

The system is designed to apply 12 mm in eight hours, with a coefficient of uniformity of less than 1.2, a scheduled coefficient of better than 85 per cent, and a distribution uniformity of better than 80 per cent.

Issues and lessons learnt

Michael said that one minor issue they encountered during the project was the need to retain the old pumps for dust suppression while the work was being undertaken. “Being able to decommission existing pumps prior to installation of new pumps is the most straightforward and efficient method of working. In the case of the turf club, due to the issue of dust suppression, we were unable to decommission the old pumps until after the installation of the new pumps. While not a major issue, this did cause slight delays and adjustments to our usual method of working.”

Delays were also caused by parts being unavailable. “There were still logistical issues from COVID as well as natural disasters that caused delays that meant we couldn’t meet the initial estimated completion dates.

“This also created additional labour as we had to make decisions about either working around not having parts or materials until a later date, or having to source them from other suppliers.”

Michael said that this is one of the largest projects he has worked on.

“It was a new experience in learning how to communicate when there are multiple companies and contractors involved in a large-scale project.”

The outcome

With the major work out of the way, Michael and his team have moved on to the next stage, which involves installing irrigation around the stable areas, member’s building and grandstands.

The trainers are now back at Bunbury using the facility and Alex says the club is looking forward to the return of racing in spring this year. The improvements are expected to allow nearly 300 additional horses to train at the club.

There are likely to be flow-on effects from the project, too, with an economic study by Racing and Wagering Western Australia indicating that by the 2029 financial year, the project will produce $36.2 million in direct expenditure for the local region each year as well as sustain 253 full-time-equivalent roles.

Rainbird 950 Eagle sprinkler

New pumps installed in the newly built pump shed

Over 6,000 irrigation stations checked!

Waterwise Garden Irrigators have had an extra busy season once again assisting Water Corporation with their Spring Sprinkler Check program.

The popular program, run by Water Corporation in partnership with Irrigation Australia, has just wrapped up for its second year with nearly 2,000 customers receiving a free 60-minute check to their irrigation system.

The sprinkler check includes a basic leak test, check of sprinkler uniformity and pressure, find and fix of broken sprinklers, replacement of inefficient misting and micro sprayers, checking and re-setting the controller to optimal run times and providing expert Waterwise advice on irrigation in the garden.

With outdoor water use in Perth making up around 60% of domestic water consumption (when bore and scheme supplies are jointly considered) this program aims to improve water efficiency in the garden, including assisting customers who continue to struggle to set irrigation controllers correctly. This year’s program also enabled the support of bore owners following the Department

of Water and Environmental Regulation’s decision to align bore watering days with the existing scheme water sprinkler roster.

In just five months, over 6,185 stations were checked resulting in 4,149 sprinklers/nozzles being replaced, 2,691 micro/misting sprayers replaced, and 326 leaks being repaired. Much positive feedback was received from customers appreciating the practical onsite assistance and education gained to help them with their personal sustainability goals.

Water Corporation Metro Projects Team

Lead Sarah Bennett said the Spring Sprinkler Check is part of an important suite of effective Water Efficiency programs delivered by the team.

“Most of our customers want to do the right thing but are not sure how to save water while keeping their gardens and lawns looking good. This program assists them to do that and works well in conjunction with our Weather Based Irrigation Controller Rebate, which gives customers up to $300 off smart controllers which automatically adjust run times according to the weather.”

Planning is currently underway for the 2023-2024 programs with a key focus on areas within the home and garden irrigation systems that present the biggest opportunity for water savings.

Awarded Waterwise Garden of the Year

Recently awarded the Landscape Industry Association of Western Australia (LIAWA) Waterwise Garden of the Year for their Claremont Project, Tim Davies Landscaping shares why this project was interesting and challenging from a reticulation perspective. Contributing factors to this was the water supply being at the highest point of the property, creating distinct supply changes at each solenoid interval. Having 2 residences that shared the same garden but with 2 distinct systems managing the watering requirements with no clear boundaries to adhere to. The plant selection also posed some challenges, especially during the watering in phase. Here’s looking at you Grass Trees.

The scope of the project was always to observe watering efficiency as its key objective, this went hand in hand

with the plant selection. The main early concern was the delicate balancing act of the establishment of the plants and how a drip system could meet a variety of requirements. With 2 houses on the block, each was to water its section of the garden so that water billing was fair for both residences. Both systems had to be easy to maintain and repair.

Part of the design process was assessing the water needs almost on a plant-by-plant basis observing both the short and long-term requirements. We also had to take into account the elevation changes that were constant though the entire garden and would lead to an interesting phenomenon that was unanticipated. We knew with

Article provided by Tim Davies Landscaping

almost a 10m elevation change from the supply to the base stations, we would be gaining pressure in the system and each station would need to be tested once installed to verify the actual flow rates at pressure to ensure no station was under or over its operating capacity. A significantly higher use of air release valves was used as a result to ensure vacuums did not form in the lines resulting in the poly pipes collapsing. The dripline was to be a combination of different pressure compensating lines that could deliver different rates of water. This was measured so that the overall water requirement of the station was as accurate as possible.

Each house on the property had the following installed:

1. Isolation tap, dual check valve, and master valve

2. Rainbird Me3 contollers

3. 25mm PVC mainline

4. Solenoids fitted to Enkie manifolds to reduce the box numbers across the property and aid future maintenance

5. Isolation taps were fitted prior to the manifolds to enable maintenance without the mainline completely draining when repairs will need to be carried out

6. Station lines were in 19mm poly line as the curves and elevation changes in the garden made PVC supply line not practical

7. All poly and drip line was pinned at 1-1.5m intervals

8. Arkal filters were installed followed by Planet pressure reducing valves for the drip stations

9. Air release and flush valves were used to ensure the longevity of the driplines though the elevation changes

10. Dripline was a combination of 3l/ hour and 1.6l/hour netafirm techline AS

11. The small verge lawns were run using Hunter MP rotator Side strips on hunter pop up bodies

The installation was completed in 3 phases.

The provisional phase was the installation of sleeves and prelays that ran under the driveways and rear exposed aggregate courtyard. The mainline and driplines were installed ahead of the planting of the smaller plants and the larger plants had the dripline installed after they were planted.

The lawns were the last phase with the installation method including directional drill and excavator trenches. The system was manually installed with the trenches dug by hand.

Future plantings of mature grass trees will see a separate station added to water them which can then be made redundant once the plants are established. While native gardens are water wise the lush dense growth and abundance of flowers in a residential setting benefit from regular water in the summer, greatly reduced but still required the grass trees do not benefit from this as much and can develop health issues. We removed some of the drip lines to these trees after watering in.

An interesting issue that was fairly unique to this property was created by what we believe to be due to the elevation and the straight run down the slope of the mainline. Some of the Enkie manifolds began to leak via their O rings shortly after installation and running a few times. It was noted that this occurred on the manifold immediately below the solenoid higher up the slope. The assumption was made that as the higher solenoid closed and the lower opened a pulse of high pressure water formed in the mainline. We installed a Pressure reducing valve prior to the manifold and this stopped the issue but it then manifested in the manifold at the very bottom. We installed a pressure reducing valve leading to this manifold as well and the problem no longer presented.

So who and what is CropX?

Rodney Industries has recently taken their product range to a whole new depth. Joining forces with CropX, Rodney Industries now offers the perfect Agronomic Farm Management System to complement their range of irrigation equipment.

Founded in 2014, CropX Technologies is one of the fastest growing providers of agribusiness farm management solutions in the world, deployed in over 60 countries and across all the arable continents.

CropX is an ag-analytics company that has developed the world’s most advanced adaptive irrigation service, which automatically optimizes irrigation, thereby delivering dramatic crop yield increase and water and energy cost savings to farms.

Land is not uniform, and so different parts of any field require different amounts of irrigation. Current irrigation systems water fields evenly, thereby wasting water and energy and repressing crop yield, by inadvertently overwatering parts of a field while under-

watering other parts. This also results in harmful leachate and runoff of fertiliser and pesticide chemicals, which impact the environment. CropX’s service is the world’s first and only automated adaptive differential irrigation solution, which successfully addresses this challenge. No other product automatically generates daily, accurate, hassle-free, irrigation maps, which apply just the right amount of water to different parts of the same field.

CropX’s technology was developed by a team of world-leading scientists and has been validated on-farm over the past five years. While the underlying science and technology may be complex, using the system is as simple and intuitive as using your smart phone. Importantly, it is also risk free. The CropX System is an easy-touse integrated hardware and software system that connects farm data, real-time conditions and agronomic knowledge to provide guidance for successful and sustainable farming. while aggregating all agronomic farm data in one place for easy tracking and sharing. The unique spiral design of the soil sensor improves accuracy of soil

data readings. The built-in telemetry and power source eliminates the need for an extra device and what’s more, installation of the unit takes less than 5 minutes.

The CropX System aggregates data from in and around the farm and transforms it into useful information to help farmers monitor the health of fields and crops. The information is easy to access and provides a holistic overview of field conditions. Data from below the ground is essential for providing accurate and predictable agronomic insights. Using sensors to capture data enables CropX to generate recommendations on what

Current Disease Models

a plant needs before it starts showing stress.

Insights and advice for performing irrigation, disease, nutrition and effluent management activities help users minimise the use of inputs while maximising yields. It’s so clear that you don’t even need agronomic expertise to achieve great results.

Current disease models

Digital farming solutions enable a future of food security on a healthy and thriving planet. Changing how we farm, on every farm, starts by delivering powerful agronomic value with solutions that are simple to use.

Global Reach –Field Tested and Trusted

2000+ Farm Deployments

15,000+ Sensor Deployments

80+ Crop Types Supported

Proven Results and Satisfied Customers

70 % Yield Increase

South America, Africa, Australia

Sugarcane

Growers across 3 continents used the irrigation and nutrition management capabilities of CropX to manage sugarcane which is highly sensitive to both under- and over-watering. Nitrogen management is critical as well, to avoid leaching and soil build up. Average of 70% yield increase and profits increased for growers

What the CropX System Does

Field Data Management

Know to grow – CropX aggregates real time data to help farmers monitor the health of fields and crops.

Irrigation Planning

Use every drop wisely – Know exactly when and how much water to apply. Save water and avoid crop stress.

Disease Control

Pro actively protect crops – Optimise spray timing by knowing exactly when, where and what to apply. Save costs while maximising protection.

Nutrition Monitoring

Ensure soil supports growth – Control costs while maximizing yields with this first-of-its-kind solution for continuously monitoring salinity and nitrogen leaching.

Effluent Irrigation

Turn a problem into an asset – Allows farmers to turn animal waste into an asset that grown their pastures and crops while minimising runoff and leaching.

Farm Data Connectivity

Connect the dots – Connect thousands of data points from sources on and around the farm onto one platform.

Tracking and reporting

Simplify traceability – With a click of a button, CropX will compile data in a report format for easy and comprehensive review.

Whether you want to reduce inputs, or ensure your yields are protected from disease, CropX System offers a complete agronomic farm management solution for you.

For more information on how CropX can work for you, contact Rodney Industries.

Phone: 07 3624 0300

Email: sales@rodneyind.com.au

Web: www.rodneyind.com.au

90% Feed Decrease

South Island, New Zealand

Pasture

On the South Island of New Zealand, a dairy farming cooperative produces pasture-fed dairy and meat products from over 60 farms, covering 20,000 hectares (~49,000 acres) of irrigated pasture. The cooperative uses CropX to improve pasture yields and optimize irrigation. 30% water use reduction and improved pasture growth for a 90% decrease in supplemental feed

15% Fertilizer Savings

Middle East

Bananas

Banana growers in Israel use CropX systems to manage irrigated and rain-fed Banana plantations. In addition to using the CropX system to manage irrigation, users track nitrogen movement in the soil for more precise fertilizer applications to avoid runoff and leaching.

27% yield increase and 15% savings on Fertilizers

68% Water Use Reduction

California, USA

Grapefruit Trees

Fifty trees were chosen to test how the Grower's practices compared to CropX irrigation advice. Control trees were irrigated using a sprinkler system and a separate, automated irrigation system was installed for trees irrigated using the CropX irrigation advice. 14% yield increase while using 68% water savings

Nutrient management in the colder months

Article by EZ-FLO Australia

It’s not surprising that most people think winter is a period of total dormancy (i.e. hibernation of plants) and that nothing needs to be done to maintain plants. Water restrictions in WA seem to reinforce this, but these restrictions are in place to build up reserve and conserve water in a period of lower growth and evaporation losses, not because of so-called dormancy.

Whilst the plant may look forlorn and unhappy due to lower temperatures and growth, the picture is very different below the surface. There the rhizosphere (i.e. the roots) are alive and the associated soil biology, such as fungi and microbes, are busily preparing for the warmer months, assisting in building up carbohydrates, and consuming dead plant material (cellulose).

Fungi are the main contributors to increased soil carbon content, which in turn contributes to decreased water consumption, so assisting them in the colder months to prepare the soil for the time irrigation is required to retain plant turgor. So healthy and well-fed fungi have positive outcomes for the plant.

When discussing nutrients, we think primarily of applying any of the 16 macro and micro nutrients essential for plant growth. But winter is not the time to apply certain nutrients in excess, such as Nitrogen. Winter is a time to apply the other valuable resources like Kelps and Seaweed products that contain Potassium but insignificant levels of Nitrogen and Phosphorus. These are jam packed with other compounds that can improve both soil and plant health to name just a few:

• Amino acids

• Alginic acid

• Complex carbohydrates

• Vitamins

• Trace elements

Natural, organic inputs like the kelps will contribute to:

• Enhanced growth, fruit quality and yield

• Increased nutrient uptake

• Better resistance to disease and pest attack

• Improved response to stress - either transplant, cold or heat

• Increased soil water retention

• Promotion of beneficial soil microbe growth

• Increased chlorophyll content of leaves

• Increased seed germination

Applying kelps through the irrigation system is an economic and efficient method so building this into a program prior to water restrictions or immediately after are a good way of preparing for the summer months.

Remedial application of kelp products with portable “fertigation” equipment onto severe wear points on ovals, parks etc. by hose is a possible option to consider during the restrictions.

Kelps, like oils, are not alike. Check the label or the product website and select products that are not manufactured using heat or caustic substances. It is essential that kelp is not structurally damaged and that especially the Alginates and Gibberellins are present in their original form.

Kelps can remediate problems that influence root growth and development but other factors such as soil pH, fertilising practices, salt concentration, use of herbicides, disease etc. need to be addressed using other nutrition management practices in conjunction with Kelp. Regular soil analysis, leaf analysis, knowing the irrigation water quality, soil structure are all major points to continually check and rectify.

Soil moisture level maintenance through the build up of soil carbon together with the application of organic wetting agents containing kelp will develop an actively growing root system, which in turn will allow more resilient plants that can take advantage of deeper soil moisture and when surface moisture is depleted, in dry periods. Note that roots do not seek water, but rather grow more vigorously and proliferate where water is available.

GLOBAL IRRIGATION & CLIMATE LEADER

Carbohydrates are used by plants for energy and growth and are the true plant food made by plants themselves through photosynthesis, a chemical reaction in leaves involving water, carbon dioxide and light energy. This assists in the build-up of carbohydrates in autumn/winter when they are made quicker than used, and assists the plant in spring when carbohydrates are depleted fastest.

Rivulis is a global micro irrigation leader focused on the transformation of agricultural irrigation to address global water and food security. As industry pioneers and veterans, we have the expertise and rich history of innovating and deploying micro irrigation solutions and digital farming services.

Rivulis is the result of the merger of five leading micro irrigation players:

Leading Waterwise Councils crowned

The State's leading Waterwise Councils were crowned in early May at the Waterwise Recognition event. These awards recognise leading sustainability practices and the water saving efforts of Western Australian businesses, buildings, local governments and aquatic centres.

Two Perth councils - the City of Stirling and Town of Cambridge - shared the coveted Platinum Waterwise Council of the Year award in recognition of their innovative efforts to reduce water consumption and improve efficiency.

The award was presented by Water Minister Simone McGurk as part of the Waterwise Council Program - an initiative of Water Corporation and Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to encourage waterwise practices within local governments and their communities.

The awards are a component of the overarching Kep Katitjin – Gabi Kaadadjan, the second iteration of the Waterwise Perth Action Plan, which was launch during National Water Week last October.

The Waterwise Perth Action Plan 2019 was the first of successive plans to transition Boorloo (Perth) to a leading waterwise city by 2030. As the southwest of WA is one of the world’s regions most affected by climate change, and our State Government has committed to respond to this challenge.

Water does not recognise jurisdictional boundaries and the initial eight participating agencies adopted this thinking to work together to deliver waterwise outcomes for Boorloo and Bindjareb (Peel). The success of this whole of government approach has led to three more agencies joining the collaborative effort to deliver this next significant step in the waterwise journey.

“Some impressive water efficiencies have been achieved through waterwise programs and how they have contributed to urban greening, the tree canopy and heat mitigation, as well as to community engagement and education, has been significant,” Waterwise Program Manager at the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation Adele Gismondi said.

In addition to these, the State Government has showcased how to achieve waterwise outcomes in urban development with 25 developments recognised as waterwise since the program’s inception in 2014. This year’s awards featured two DevelopmentWA estates Subi East and Brabham Estate (developed by Peet Limited).

Kep Katitjin – Gabi Kaadadjan operates at different scales, from detailed building scale actions up to whole of government actions, and the number of actions at this government-leading scale has doubled in this plan.

“This demonstrates the willingness of waterwise agencies to deliver onground works that bring together the water efficiencies and community connection work that support the household and building scale,” Ms Gismondi said.

Meantime, water sensitive urban design and liveability outcomes will be achieved in precincts and suburbs and be guided by city and urbanscale planning, policies and Noongar engagement.

“There is an intention to learn from and to build capacity in our partners both within the State Government and in diverse disciplines that contribute to waterwise outcomes for Boorloo and Bindjareb.

“Collaboration and walking together to determine a shared vision and objectives across all stakeholders is at the heart of this plan.”

This way of working will enable innovative solutions to water and climate challenges and achieve greater overall benefit for Boorloo and Bindjareb communities.

Innovative replenishment project makes a splash at Perry Lakes Reserve

Part of the idyllic suburb of Floreat in Western Australia, Perry Lakes Reserve is an expansive natural area that spans 80 hectares. Featuring two lakes that cover approximately 12.6 hectares, the reserve offers a host of passive recreation facilities, such as shaded picnic areas, pathways, playgrounds, exercise facilities and barbecues. The much-loved reserve has long been a popular destination for locals and visitors alike.

A Jewel in Western Australia

Perry Lakes Reserve holds a significant place in Western Australia's landscape. Its history dates back to the 1930s when the land was initially reserved for recreation purposes. The reserve's lakes are a vital ecological feature, supporting a diverse range of flora and fauna. They provide essential habitats for waterbirds, tortoises, frogs, and other aquatic life, ultimately contributing to the biodiversity of the region. The lakes were once thriving ecosystems, with lush vegetation and abundant wildlife. However, over time, the lakes have faced significant

challenges due to changing climate patterns, increased urbanisation, and competition for groundwater resources.

The Decline of Perry Lakes

Despite its historical significance and ecological importance, Perry Lakes has experienced a decline in recent years. Encroaching development, clearing of surrounding vegetation, and altered hydrological conditions have taken a toll on the lakes' health and resilience. The loss of natural vegetation has disrupted the balance of the ecosystem, leading to increased weed invasion, altered water quality, and reduced habitat for native species.

Recognising the Urgency: The Perry Lakes Replenishment Project

The Town had been grappling with increasing pressure on its water resources, including declining groundwater levels, for a number of years. In response to the need to restore the ecological integrity of Perry Lakes, the Perry Lakes Replenishment Project took shape.

The beginnings of the project date back to late 2017 when Town of Cambridge Mayor Keri Shannon was contacted by Mr Barry Carbon, former CEO of the Environmental Protection Authority, who recommended this solution and assisted the Town with professional advice to deliver it. The Town is indebted to Mr Carbon. The Council has been proud to lead the replenishment project at Perry Lakes using this solution and water source.

Effectively, the project's primary objective is to redirect freshwater from the Herdsman Main Drain, a drainage channel that currently discharges water into the ocean, to replenish water bodies in Perry Lakes Reserve. By doing so, the project aims restore historic water levels, improve biodiversity, enhance recreational opportunities, and foster environmental resilience.

The Replenishment Process

The implementation of the Perry Lakes Replenishment Project involved extensive planning, design

Article provided by Town of Cambridge

considerations, and collaboration with various stakeholders. The project's design parameters that were developed by GHD have catered for heritage and environmental risks, consultations with authorities and landowners, managing water volume quality, and mitigating potential impacts on groundwater.

Constructed by Civcon Civil and Project Management, the scheme is 1.4km of pressurised High Density Polyethylene, fed by two submersible pumps in a wet well that is gravity-fed from the Herdsman Drain. The pumps then discharge into the Town’s existing stormwater network, which leads to Perry Lakes. The lake levels are monitored, and a weather station controls flow during rainfall events to avoid drainage capacity issues in storm season. This managedaquifer project was many years in the making and widely recognised in the local community. Float controls were incorporated to monitor lake and drain levels, maintaining a delicate balance of water within Perry Lakes throughout the year.

With an average 27 megalitres of water per day being lost to the ocean through the Herdsman Main Drain, the Town’s project works will allow an average 4.7 megalitres per day to be diverted to Perry Lakes. In the course of a year, this equates to nearly 4,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools of stormwater being lost, with the Replenishment scheme able to redirect just over 680 Olympicsized swimming pools to the Lakes. The

redirection of fresh stormwater mimics natural processes, supporting the maintenance and seasonally occurring fluctuations of water levels at the Lakes through the year. It is expected that a prolonged impact on water levels as a result of the project will be measurable from spring this year.

The works undertaken not only conserve water resources otherwise lost to the ocean, but also support the recharge of groundwater levels in the aquifer. This more efficient management of resources improves limited water supply elsewhere in the community.

The project has also included the addition of more than 85,000 wetland plants which have been planted as part of a State Government Grant to aid in the improvement to water quality. The lakes act as a source of drought refuge for local wildlife in the area, and it is hoped that as a result of these efforts to restore historic water levels and reinstate native vegetation, the project will stabilise lake banks, improve water quality, and provide an improved feeding habitat for birds, frogs, and invertebrates.

The Town committed $3 million in capital works funding to this important project and received $300,000 in grant funding from the State Government for revegetation works at the parkland.

Reaping the Benefits

The successful implementation of the Perry Lakes Replenishment Project has yielded positive outcomes, surpassing expectations. By preventing the loss of millions of stormwater to the ocean each year, the project not only conserves valuable freshwater resources but also contributes to water sustainability in the region.

The improved water levels enhance the ecological health of the lakes as well as support a wider range of flora and fauna. Biodiversity has flourished, with increased breeding habitats for waterbirds, tortoises, frogs, and other aquatic species. Just recently, a family of Yellow-Billed Spoonbill birds has been spotted moving into the area.

The Perry Lakes Replenishment Project has also created opportunities for community engagement and education. Partnerships between the community, the Town, and Friends of Perry Lakes have prompted a mix of activities that increase community awareness and involvement in the management and improvement of the wetlands. Through these collaborations, the project has contributed to the appreciation of culture and natural heritage, promoting a deeper connection between the community and the environment.

Looking to the Future

As the Perry Lakes Replenishment Project continues, the Town of Cambridge remains dedicated to the long-term maintenance and preservation of this invaluable regional setting. Regular water quality testing, ongoing revegetation initiatives, and wildlife monitoring efforts will ensure the sustained health and vibrancy of the lakes and their surrounding ecosystems.

The Perry Lakes Replenishment Project stands as an important environmental restoration and water management initiative. By redirecting freshwater to the lakes, the project has addressed declining water levels while delivering benefits, including enhanced biodiversity, increased recreational opportunities, and heightened environmental resilience.

The success of this project showcases what collaboration, innovation, and community engagement in safeguarding and restoring can achieve to enhance a popular natural area. With pressure on finite water resources steadily increasing, it has become more important than ever for local governments to implement innovative water management approaches to improve and sustain supply.

Through the preservation and sustainable management of Perry Lakes, future generations will continue to enjoy the beauty and ecological richness of this remarkable reserve.

Drain diverting stormwater to Perry Lakes Reserve

Monitoring water quality using a Photometer

Article by David Hunt, GIA Smart Farming Project Officer. Reprinted with permission. The article first published in Greenlife Industry Australia May 2023 newsletter.

Plant production systems have evolved over the past decades from manual fertiliser applications and hand watering to highly sophisticated digital sensors and irrigation management software. All these developments have helped the nursery industry to increase water use efficiency, decrease nutrient inputs and reduce a nursery’s environmental footprint. However, transitioning from manual practices to full automation with integrated sensor systems can be expensive and a little confusing when done all at once. The trick to transitioning is to do it in stages that allows your management processes and staff to adjust to the changes.

One area that has become easier to monitor is water quality testing. Previously water samples needed to be sent to a lab for analysis, which could take weeks for the results to be sent back. By which time the quality of the water could have changed, or you may have already harmed your plants with contaminated water. Using basic handheld pH and EC meters can provide a general on-site water quality

guide, with lab tests as a backup if you find an issue.

The Smart Farming partnership project funded by the National Landcare program and Hort Innovation has taken automated testing a step further by installing pH and Electrical Conductivity (EC) sensors at strategic locations around the project nursery. These measure water salinity in realtime at the dam, in container leachate, and the runoff collection drain, to indicate nutrients and other dissolved chemical ions commonly called salts.

To identify the actual nutrients or chemicals dissolved in the water a desktop photometer is used. This is a cheaper and quicker way of identifying nutrient and chemical concentrations then sending samples to a lab.

You crush a substance called a ‘reagent’ into a small water sample which reacts to highlight the chemical ion of interest. The photometer then shines a specific light frequency know to reflect off the target ion and measures the intensity. Any water

sample can be tested, including leachate captured from growing media, however dirty water may need to be filtered before testing.

A basic photometer costing about $500 can test for basic chemicals (parameters). A multiparameter photometer costing up to $3000 can measure dozens of parameters. The reagents are purchased separately for individual parameters as you need them. Most photometer tests are completed within 20 minutes with the average cost of a single test being about one dollar.

Some photometers can export a CSV file for further analysis in a spreadsheet or be saved for your monitoring records. The saved data can be used for NIASA and EcoHort reporting to show water quality meets environmental guidelines.

Although the initial cost to purchase a multiparameter photometer and reagents can seem expensive, the individual tests are quick, easy, and cheap.

Basic handheld pH and EC meter. (Image by David Hunt, GIA)

At the projects nursery, a photometer has allowed the production manager to test the concentration of nitrogen and phosphate dissolved in the water after filtering and disinfestation, then adjust the fertiliser additives to balance the next fertigation. Samples are also taken at the sprinklers during a fertigation to confirm the concentrations are correct. After an irrigation, a sample from the runoff collection drain is taken to identify the concentration of nutrients that have been leached from containers. This has helped to reduce fertiliser usage and reduced nutrient build-up in the dam, which has reduced the incidences of algal blooms.

The added benefit of using a photometer is that any parameter can be tested if you have the reagent. For example, chlorine levels after disinfestation can be checked to ensure the system is operating as required. Or if there is a major weather event the water quality entering or leaving your property can be tested for contaminants.

One benefit of incorporating technology in stages, in general, is that you can see how certain production processes and events change the water quality. Over time with regular testing, an understanding of how production processes influence water quality is developed. If pH and EC sensors are used throughout the cropping cycle, the relationship between irrigation, fertiliser applications, nutrient leaching, and EC readings becomes easier to identify and monitor.

Once you are familiar with the type of data, how it is displayed, and what it means in relation to your business, it will be easier to transition to installing other remotely connected sensor systems and incorporate the information into daily production decisions.

At the Smart production nursery, automatically monitoring nutrient levels has not only reduced nutrient leaching but has helped to improve dam water quality and refine the irrigation schedule for more targeted fertigation.

Additional Resources

Water Quality Testing in Production

Nurseries Water quality and nursery crop nutrition

Nursery Industry Water Management Best Practice Guidelines

Managing Water Storages Water Quality Video

BioSecure HACCP Water Testing Video

Authorised sprinkler testing signs

If you are testing an irrigation system outside of water rostering hours, as a gardening industry professional, you are not required to register for an exemption with the Water Corporation. However, to promote that you are doing authorised work and avoid a possible infringement, we recommend you have a sign clearly displayed at the front of the property.

Magnetic sign:

$95ea non-members or $65ea for IAL Members

All signs approximately 400mm x 300mm. To download the order form please click here.

Example of Photometer data for nitrate levels at various points around the nursery. (Image by David Hunt, GIA)

Photometer be used to test water sample. (Image by David Hunt, GIA)

HAVE YOU VISITED THE WA WATERWISE PROGRAMS WEBSITE?

www.waterwiseprograms.com.au

The Waterwise Garden Irrigator Program is a joint initiative of the WA Region of Irrigation Australia and Water Corporation, with a goal of optimising water-use efficiency of domestic irrigation systems in Western Australia. Endorsed Waterwise Garden Irrigators are fully trained in water efficient practices and can design, install, repair and maintain home garden irrigation systems.

WATERWISE GARDEN IRRIGATORS

AAA Irrigation

Adonis Gardening & Irrigation

Advantage Bores & Reticulation Services

Alessio’s Gardens

Allwest Bores & Reticulation

Aqueduct Irrigation Services

AR Landscapes

Backyard Creations

Beyond Reticulation

BHG Garden Service

Bowie Developments

Bowie Irrigation

Bradkaz Irrigation

Brighton Reticulation

Brookwell Irrigation

Candid Reticulation Services

CHATT Services

Civic Reticulation

Coast to Coast Irrigation

Cockburn Property Maintenance

Country Landscaping & Irrigation

CS Reticulation

CT Irrigation

Donewell Contracting

Dynamic Property Solutions

Earlybird Landscaping

Earth & Water Pty Ltd

Evergrow Gardenscapes

Fastlane Maintenance

First Element Irrigation

Fluid Irrigation

Garden Solutions

Greenworx

Groundskeeper Garden Services

Growing Assets

Handy Fixers Property Maintenance

HomeCare Reticulation

Instant Gardens

Joel Irrigation & Landscaping

Josh's Lawn & Garden Service

Landscape Australia Construction

Kinetic Landscaping

KRH Irrigation

Landscape Elements Pty Ltd

LD TOTAL

Living Eden Property Maintenance

Luke's Landscaping Co

Matt Duncan Reticulation & Landscaping

Midwest Turf Supplies

Mr Retic

Newground Water Services

Northend Reticulation & Turf

Nutrien Water

Oasis Reticulation

Olive Branch Landscapes

One Two Tree Irrigation & Landscaping

Outdoor Garden Services

OZ Commercial Maintenance Services

Peel Scape Solutions

Perdita Reticulation & Garden Solutions

Perth Lawns and Retic

Perth Landscaping Experts

Perth Retic Repair

Perth Reticulation Experts

Plantech Grounds Maintenance

Portworks

PTC Irrigation

Pumps N Pipes Supplies

Purely Irrigation

Rain Maker Irrigation Services

Rapid Reticulation Remedies

Renoscape

Repair Your Retic

Retic Express

Retic Mate

Reticulation Pro

Rob’s Retic and Lawn

Ryan Daly

SK Retic

Sodexo

Softscapes & Reticulation Pty Ltd

Sprinkler Fixers

Summer Retic

Superior Landscaping & Reticulation

The Garden Fixer

The Greenscape Collective

The Retic Chick

The Retic Guy

The Retic & Landscape Shop

The Watershed Water Systems Midland

Think Water Dunsborough

Think Water Geraldton

Think Water Perth

Tidy Gardens Australia

Tim Davies Landscaping

TLC Services Perth

Top Dog Landscaping and Reticulation

Triton Electrical Contractors

Turfed Out

Ultimate Blue Pty Ltd

Under Pressure Retic

Urban Reticulation

VIP Home Services

Wanda’s Gardening & Landscaping

WaterLink

Water Smart Services Pty Ltd

Water Well Reticulation

Waterwise Landscaping

Westcoast Reticulation Services

Western Irrigation

Wet Frog Retic

WF Landscape Industries Pty Ltd

Wittens Irrigation & Design

Yurra Pty Ltd

The website features an extensive and up-to-date business directory where the community can search for their local Waterwise members, based on their location. Head to the search directory at www. waterwiseprograms.com.au for members’ contact details, or if you’d like information on how to become an endorsed Waterwise business.

With an increasing number of DIY enthusiasts installing and maintaining their own irrigation systems, the Waterwise Irrigation Design Shop Program was developed to raise the standard of irrigation advice and design services offered by staff at counter level of specialist irrigation retailers. Endorsed staff have the knowledge and skills to provide their customers with waterwise advice, products and services.

Several Waterwise Garden Irrigators and Design Shops were randomly selected for audit in the 2021/22 period. Successfully audited businesses are acknowledged with this customised logo.

WATERWISE IRRIGATION DESIGN SHOPS

Controlled Irrigation Supplies - Joondalup

Joel Irrigation & LHP Landscaping

Nutrien Water - Balcatta

Nutrien Water - Byford

Nutrien Water - Canning Vale

Nutrien Water - Forrestdale

Nutrien Water - Greenwood

Nutrien Water - Joondalup

Nutrien Water - Malaga

Nutrien Water - Mandurah

Nutrien Water - Midvale

Nutrien Water - Myaree

Nutrien Water - Neerabup

Nutrien Water - Osborne Park

Nutrien Water - Rockingham

Peel H20 Solutions - Mandurah

Pumps ‘n Pipes - Mandurah

Rainscape Waterwise Solutions - Bibra Lake

The Retic & Landscape Shop - Southern River

The Watershed Water SystemsCockburn

SOUTH WEST WATERWISE PROGRAMS

The Watershed Water Systems - Midland

The Watershed Water Systems - Morley

The Watershed Water Systems - Subiaco

Think Water - Broome

Think Water - Capes Region

Think Water - Geraldton

Think Water - Perth

WA Reticulation Supplies - Armadale

WA Reticulation Supplies - Midland

WA Reticulation Supplies - Rockingham

Western Irrigation - Greenwood

Irrigation Australia has recently launched the Waterwise Irrigation Programs in the South West region of WA, with the support of local water utilities; Busselton Water and Aqwest.

WATERWISE IRRIGATION DESIGN SHOPS

Country Water Solutions – Bunbury

Nutrien Water – Bunbury

Nutrien Water – Busselton

WATERWISE GARDEN IRRIGATORS

ARB Landscaping & Fencing

Country Landscaping & Irrigation

Fastlane Maintenance

Fergies Total Lawn Care

LD TOTAL Nutrien Water - Busselton

Russell’s Retic

Summer Retic

TRAINING WITH IRRIGATION AUSTRALIA

W h e t h e r y o u ' r e j u s t e n t e r i n g t h e i n d u s t r y , o r b u i l d i n g o n y o u r c u r r e n t s k i l l s a s a n i r r i g a t i o n p r o f e s s i o n a l , w e c a n c r e a t e n e w p o s s i b i l i t i e s a n d h e l p s h a p e y o u r f u t u r e i n t h i s e v e r - g r o w i n g i n d u s t r y .

T R A I N I N G P R O G R A M S O N O F F E R

C e r t i f i c a t i o n i s a s e r i e s o f i n d u s t r y - d r i v e n p r o g r a m s d i r e c t l y l i n k e d t o a c c r e d i t e d V o c a t i o n a l E d u c a t i o n p r o g r a m s t o g i v e a s s u r a n c e t o o u r c u s t o m e r s t h a t i r r i g a t i o n p r o f e s s i o n a l s k n o w w h a t t h e y a r e d o i n g a n d h a v e c o m m i t t e d t o c o n t i n u i n g p r o f e s s i o n a l d e v e l o p m e n t .

n a t i o n - w i d e t r a i n i n g

1 2 + c a r e e r p a t h w a y s

N o n - A c c r e d i t e d S h o r t C o u r s e s

D e s i g n C o u r s e s

1 0 s p e c i a l i s t c e r t i f i c a t i o n s

Q u a l i f i c a t i o n s A c c r e d i t e d S h o r t C o u r s e s

Q U A L I F I C A T I O N S

S H O R T C O U R S E S

D E S I G N C O U R S E S

www.irrigationaustralia.com.au

Water Usage Metro Region

https://www.watercorporation.com.au/Our-water/ Rainfall-and-dams/Water-use

Yearly Streamflow

https://www.watercorporation.com.au/Our-water/ Rainfall-and-dams/Streamflow

Perth Rainfall Comparison

https://www.watercorporation.com.au/Our-water/ Rainfall-and-dams/Rainfall