Latest Featured Projects
During years of extreme water shortage local Country Fire Authority (CFA) units were forced to take water conservation measures which limited training opportunities for brigade members. This project was a cooperative effort between Bacchus Marsh & Melton hospital and local CFA Fire Brigades to reuse wastewater from sterilisation processes in local fire fighting applications.
It is currently unknown how much water installed evaporative air coolers in Victoria waste, however, estimates indicate it could be as high as 3 GL of drinking water per year. The evaporative cooler pilot study undertaken has improved this water efficiency estimate and has developed best practice guidelines to obtain water efficient operation through recommissioning the water management systems on already installed units.
The Alternative Water Atlas (a spatial planning tool) was developed as part of the Water Supply and Demand Strategy for Melbourne. This project provided insight into the potential opportunity for alternative water sources across Melbourne now and in the future, and the costs and benefits that are attached to these opportunities.
The Etiwanda Wetlands in Mildura form part of an established storm water catchment and treatment system. The wetlands provide a natural treatment of water using a sedimentation pond and wetland area. A portion of this treated water could be used for local irrigation purposes. This project tested the efficiency of floating reed beds in improving water quality for this purpose.
The Sportsfield Irrigation Software is targeted at helping review Melbourne’s future developments and existing irrigation practices for sports fields.
Its objective is to provide an information package for decision makers on the development and management of sports fields, with a software model to quantify irrigation water and nutrient demand and their dependence on the use of alternative water sources.
Fire fighting training that simulates real life situations is critical to the safety of the public and success of firefighting and emergency services. This training requires the use of large quantities of water which is normally discharged directly to the stormwater system.
Following an extensive audit of its operations and associated water use, the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board (MFB) recognised it had an opportunity to undertake a program to benchmark, track and reduce their water use during training activities.
There is a wealth of hydrogeological (groundwater) information available for the Greater Melbourne region. However, its value for water managers, policy-makers, business and the community is limited by how difficult it is to find, access and understand.
To make accessing the data easy, the Victorian Government and Sinclair Knight Merz created the Melbourne Groundwater Map. The Map combines several key groundwater data sources into a single, user-friendly format.
The potential to capture and harness stormwater has been identified as a key opportunity in developing strategies for long-term sustainable water management.
Aquifers have already proven to be a successful option for storing stormwater on a commercial scale in other parts of Australia. These underground formations allow water to percolate through them and act as natural storage facilities.
