First stage of Hurstville stormwater project complete

Hurstville Mayor Cr Jack Jacovou last week unveiled the first stage of the Peakhurst Light Industrial Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse Scheme at Hurstville Golf Course.

The scheme will harvest stormwater from a 160 ha catchment to irrigate tees, greens and fairways at the club. Stage one includes the installation of a biorentention system, access tracks, storage pond and wetland, and the planting of over 20,000 native shrubs and plants. Bioretention systems use plants and sand filters to reduce nutrients and particulate matter and improve the quality of the harvested stormwater.

“The aim of this project is to capture and treat stormwater run-off from catchments to the north, east and west of the golf course, including the Peakhurst Light Industrial Precinct,” Mayor Jacovou said.

“The stormwater is collected from an existing pipe that runs under the 13th fairway between Roberts Avenue, Mortdale, and Lime Kiln Bay.

“Essentially, the water undergoes further treatment to remove any bacteria before it is used to irrigate the golf course.”

The scheme will use approximately 50 million litres of harvested water each year and help to save 21 million litres of tap water. Other environmental benefits, said Mayor Jacovou, include “the prevention of sediment and other unwanted pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorous in the stormwater from entering Lime Kiln Bay”.

Parliamentary Secretary for Environment and Urban Water Amanda Rishworth congratulated Hurstville City Council on completing the first phase of the project.

“The Australian Government is providing over $1 million in funding for the project through the Water for the Future initiative under the National Urban Water and Desalination Plan, and is proud to fund projects like this that deliver adaptable infrastructure to communities to help them become more sustainable,” Rishworth said.

“The second phase of the project involves installing infrastructure to irrigate the golf course with treated stormwater, and developing education materials to promote water conservation and stormwater re-use to the broader community.”

Mayor Jacovou said stage two is due to commence shortly, with council providing an additional $100,000 for further irrigation and topsoil upgrades, and the planting of an additional 5000 native shrubs.

Hurstville City Council provided more than $400,000 for the project, the Water for the Future Initiative contributed $1.07 million, the Office of Environment and Heritage’s Waste and Sustainability Improvement Program provided $740,000 and the NSW Government’s Climate Change Fund contributed $187,000.