Collaboration key to developing MAR for open space irrigation Right: Hartfield Park MAR infrastructure top view and Dan Nelson (middle)
As climate change and population growth continue to put pressure on Perth’s groundwater, interest is developing for small scale alternative irrigation schemes using recycled storm and wastewater.
The City of Kalamunda has put great effort into the project – from the trial to its full implementation – to meet operating and regulatory requirements for recharging and abstracting stormwater for public open space irrigation.
In October 2019, the Western Australian Government released the Waterwise Perth Action Plan to transform Perth into a leading waterwise city by 2030. As part of this plan, recycled and alternative water supplies could make up to 45 per cent of the projected gap between future supply and demand by 2030.
Given our extensive groundwater systems, managed aquifer recharge is an attractive option to store winter runoff.
When it comes to developing alternative water supplies, there is no single solution and there is a lot that can be learned along the way. This message was recently re-enforced by Dan Nelson from the City of Kalamunda who shared his experience developing the city’s Managed Aquifer Recharge project at the Hartfield Park sporting precinct. Dan with the support of his council has led the building of Perth’s first scaled local Managed Aquifer Recharge irrigation project to service the extensive sporting fields and recreation grounds at Hartfield Park. Licensed by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER), the project harvests and stores stormwater in winter for recovery and use as irrigation water in summer. Lessons learned from the Hartfield Park trial and subsequent upscale of this project were shared locally and internationally in December. The 19th International Small Water and Wastewater Systems Conference included a field tour of Hartfield Park giving policy directors, engineers and academics an opportunity to learn about the project. That same month, an Irrigation Australia event gave Perth local government staff and irrigation professionals an insight into the project.
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The Overflow - Summer 2020
It also enables runoff to be captured, including in areas that waterlog, to balance our seasonal demands in dry summers. Where feasible, managed aquifer recharge has the potential to make stormwater and treated wastewater an asset for communities - supplying water for industry, public open spaces and sporting fields. It can also reduce the cost of managing the impact of stormwater on sensitive waterways, such as estuaries, and support groundwater levels. Other local governments in growing metropolitan areas are looking at opportunities to develop alternative water supplies to supplement groundwater use. The City of Swan is exploring a different approach to recycling by harvesting sub-surface drainage water for public open space irrigation. The City of Mandurah is also looking to add to their existing wastewater reuse scheme utilising the Caddadup wastewater treatment plant. Planning is underway for a new non-potable scheme using treated wastewater, stored through managed aquifer recharge, to irrigate public open space within the northern sector of Mandurah. The Shire of Serpentine-Jarrahdale is also planning for a range of alternative water sources to satisfy its future water needs. As one of the fastest growing communities in Australia, it is adopting an integrated water management strategy to respond to current and future water supply and infrastructure pressures, with this work winning an AWA WA water award along with industry partners Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec.
