How we conserve Randwick's water
Randwick Council's Sustaining Our City program is responding to the need for increased water conservation through new and ongoing projects which collect, conserve and reuse our precious water supplies across our City.
Water 4 Life
The Water 4 Life partnership aims to create awareness and understanding of Randwick Council's existing stormwater re-use projects that are implemented across various sites and facilities in Randwick Council.
The water saved through these stormwater recycling projects is now around 500 million litres of water which is equivalent to the water in more than 140 Olympic swimming pools each year.
Water 4 Life poster (pdf 583Kb)
Stormwater re-use projects carried out by Randwick includes the construction of underground or above ground storage and treatment systems which captures stormwater run-off down our streets and drains or from nearby Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs). This water undergoes strict treatment processes to ensure even water used for irrigation or toilet flushing purposes in our parks and reserves is treated to a very high water quality standard. The replacement of existing town or drinking water supplies for relevant purposes then replaces the unnecessary use of our precious drinking water.
The amount of water saved through this harvesting system is around 500 million litres of water which is equivalent to more than 140 Olympic swimming pools each year.
A number of our stormwater re-use projects are featured in the Water 4 Life campaign. They include:
Council's Community Nursery at Kingsford
A 140,000-litre underground stormwater re-use system has been constructed and is providing more than 60 per cent of the nursery's irrigation requirements.
Treatment and irrigation systems are now in place providing treated stormwater for irrigation and toilet flushing including Clovelly Lifesaving Club and washing down paved areas
Pioneers Park, Malabar
A treatment and irrigation system is recycling stormwater from the Gross Pollutant Trap in Cromwell Park, saving around 40 million litres of town water each year.
Nagle Park, Maroubra
Treatment and irrigation systems are providing treated stormwater for irrigation and saving Council 12 million litres of drinking water each year.
Rain water tanks
Randwick City Council has installed rain water storage tanks, which hold more than 90,000 litres of water as well as dual flush systems in buildings and water saving showerheads and taps at our beach facilities.
More than 160,000 litres of rainwater tank storage systems have been installed across Council buildings including:
- 75,000 litres at the Works Depot at Maroubra
- 20,000 litres at Council's Administration Building to help offset water used in the buildings air conditioning system
- 20,000 at the Des Renford Aquatic Centre
- 20,000 litres at Bundock Reserve
- 10,000 litres at Perry Street Recycling Centre
- 14,000 litres at the Town Hall used to supplement car washing and irrigation of garden areas.
Waste water and backwash water re-use
The waste water re-use system at the Council's Storey Street Depot is providing around 70 percent of the Depot's water requirements.
A 240,000-litre water re-use system is installed at the Des Renford Leisure Centre in Maroubra, treating and reusing backwash water from each of the pools at the swimming centre. In addition to bore water re-use up to 90% of the pool's requirements can be met from alternative water supplies.
Paine Reserve - water savings project
We're saving water and improving irrigation!
This reserve will soon be irrigated by 100% treated bore water as part of a Randwick City Council water savings project.
Following the installation of a water storage tank and pump to improve in Paine Reserve, we are now installing a water treatment system to improve the quality of water. This includes:
- installing a 27,000 litre underground tank to collect water
- installing water treatment filters
- digging trenches and installing pipes
The works are expected to save approximately $10,000 and up to five million litres of tap water every year.
Elsewhere in Randwick City, 100% treated bore water is already being used to fill the swimming pools at the Des Renford Leisure Centre in Maroubra.
Work is expected to be completed by November 2014. We apologise for any inconvenience caused during construction.