The Grange Golf Club has been operational since 1926. The Club features two championship quality 18 hole courses, both ranked in the top 100 courses in Australia. To maintain the courses during summer the Club sources approximately 500ML of irrigation water from the T1 aquifer which is part of the Port Willunga Formation.
The continuation of the drought, urban and industrial sprawl has raised questions about the sustainability of water extraction from the Aquifer. To ensure the sustainability of water resources The Grange Golf Club worked with the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board to initiate a water sustainability initiative, creating The Grange Golf Club Wetland Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Scheme.
The Grange Golf Club Wetland ASR Scheme
The Grange Golf Club Wetland ASR Scheme involves capturing storm water from Trimmer Parade and Brebner Drive in Seaton, SA. The storm water is then moved through a series of vegetated pools designed to reduce the amount of rubbish, sediment and pollution in the water.
These vegetated pools are known as the Wetland and occupy 3ha on the eastern boundary of The Grange Golf Club facility. The water takes 4-6 days to pass through the wetland, and reach the point where it can be injected into the underground aquifer for storage and later extraction. Based on the average annual rainfall and wetland size The Grange Golf Club ASR Scheme plans to pump 320 megalitres into the underground aquifer per year, significantly reducing the impact the Club has on the aquifer.
Wetland Design
The design of the wetland features a series of pools. The general design of each pool features a deep inlet, shallow marsh, and another deep area before the outlet.
The deep pools are approximately 1-1.5m deep and act to slow the water and encourage coarse particles to drop out of the water.
The shallow marshes are only covered with 5-20cms of water. However they feature a dense population of reeds that act as a giant sieve reducing the amount of sediments or pollutants in the water.
Into The Aquifer
Before any water is pumped into the aquifer it needs to pass a series of tests to establish if the quality of water meets the specified requirements set out in the EPA’s (Environmental Protection Agency) Code of Practice for Aquifer Storage and Recovery 2004. These tests examine levels of; salinity, nitrogen, phosphorous, herbicides, fertilizers, heavy metals, acidity, and turbidity.
Benefits of the ASR Scheme
- Sustainable water resource for The Grange Golf Club
- A reduced amount of unfiltered storm water entering West Lakes, the Port River and eventually the ocean.
- To maintain and boost water levels in the bore.
- Reduced salinity in the aquifer.
- Habitat for native fauna
- It encourages the long term survival of native vegetation species and recreates past indigenous vegetation communities, ie the Greater Reedbeds.
Acknowledgements
Government of South Australia, The Grange Golf Club Inc, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board, Connel Wagner, Bardvacol, Green Environmental Consultants, and Hakea Revegetation.
For Further Information:
Grange Golf Club Inc.
White Sands Drive, Grange, SA, 5022
Address: PO Box 7462, West Lakes, SA, 5021
Phone: (08) 8355 7100
Email: info@www.grangegolf.com.au
Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board
Address: 205 Greenhill Road, Eastwood, SA, 5063
Phone: (08) 8273 9100
Web: http://www.amlrnrm.sa.gov.au
E-mail: reception@adelaide.nrm.sa.gov.au