| With water quickly becoming the new liquid gold, it makes economic sense to recycle as much of it as possible, not to mention the added benefits in minimising the damage to the environment. In mid 2003, Barwon Water advertised interest in exploring the options with recycled water and a business case was eventually developed clarifying the economic feasibility of supplying recycled water to the Bannockburn Golf Club.
Construction of a 1.3 km pipeline from the Bannockburn WRP to the Bannockburn Golf Course began in January 2006. The project consisted of 225mm dia PVC pipe reducing to 150mm dia and a 100mm PVC connection to Bannockburn’s irrigation system. Operating under the Civil Contractors Federation’s Integrated Management System, JHL Civil ensured that the project was completed safely and environmentally responsibly, on time and within budget.
As JHL specialise in the area of recycled water pipelines they purchased a specialized Backhoe/Loader; The Terex 980 Elite, granting JHL Civil the ability to conform to the increasing demand of environmentally sensitive works. This is particularly important when the projects JHL is employed to complete are designed to nurture the environment.
The 4WS ensured that we could turn in tight areas, when working on access tracks through Parks Victoria and the Department of Sustainability and Environment territory, we have a limited work zone to ensure that our impact on the surrounds of the access tracks are zero.
The crab steer suited the requirements to wind row in material for accurate and efficient bedding and backfilling large open cut trenches in tight areas. The option of the forks further provided safety benefits to ensure that we meet the manual handling requirements to move our pipes and fittings around and it further ensured that when working in remote areas we had the means to unload materials from delivery trucks. The Terex’s front bucket was large enough to enable use of the machine as a wheel loader when not using the rear end.
The recycled water from this project will irrigate Bannockburn Golf Club as the town’s first connection to Barwon Water’s local treatment plant. Recycled water would be piped 1.3 kilometres from Barwon Water’s Bannockburn treatment facility to the golf course to irrigate tees, fairways and surrounds. Up to 30 million litres a year will be available, helping the community and the environment.
Drought-Proof
The pipeline project was chosen for an official launch in August this year by the Honorable Elaine Carbines, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment Member for Geelong Province and Barwon Water’s Board members Stephen Vaughan, Roger Lowrey and Richard Gould. Mrs. Carbines said the project was significant for the Bannockburn region. “Around 30 million litres of water is produced at the Bannockburn water reclamation plant annually and this is expected to grow as Bannockburn expands,” she said. “This is a great outcome for Bannockburn Golf Club, Barwon Water and the environment.”
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The launch was held in the clubrooms of the Bannockburn Golf Course, a course that is maintained predominantly by volunteers from the neighbouring Bannockburn township in Geelong’s West. The launch highlighted the potable water saving of 30,000 litres as being amongst the benefits that the recycled water pipeline was to provide to the course, including drought proofing it all year round - which would ultimately raise membership numbers.
Steve Fenwick, the Bannockburn course President, said that the ultimate finish for this project would be the supply of further government funding to ensure that most effective irrigation of the recycled water to green the course. “Our club is run purely by volunteer members. We don’t employ greens keepers or maintenance staff, but now our course is ‘drought-proof’ thanks to recycled water,” he said.
Bannockburn Golf Club is a sand-scrapes course, meaning its ‘greens’ are not thirsty grass, but crushed quartz. Only the tees and fairways require irrigation, and this is all achieved through rainwater and recycled water. “Our goal is to maintain a sand-scrapes course in a condition that is second-to-none,” Mr. Fenwick said. “One day, we might be able to replace our sand scrapes with grass greens, irrigated with recycled water.”
Ms Carbines said Bannockburn Golf Club joins a growing list of customers ‘tapping in’ to the valuable resource of recycled water, including other Victorian Surf Coast golf courses in Torquay, Anglesea, Barwon Heads and Thirteenth Beach, sporting grounds in Anglesea, and several primary producers along the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast.
The Golden Plains Shire provided $30,000 for the project, and further assisted the Bannockburn Golf club in obtaining a $50,000 Community Water Grant to fund the construction of infrastructure including pipes, pumps and an underground irrigation system. Water recycling is a key part of the Bracks Government’s Our Water Our Future campaign to secure Victoria’s water future.
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