Water harvest project
The Harbour Foreshore is Newcastle’s most popular recreation area and extends from Nobby’s Beach right through to Queens Wharf.
Newcastle City Council used to maintain the parkland using about fifty megalitres of town water per year to irrigate the grassed area.
The Water Harvest Project supplements the town water supply by accessing bore water. The water is drawn from the ground and stored in five holding tanks (each at 35,000 litre capacity) where it is pumped through to feed sprinklers.
Sensors are planted in the ground to measure the moisture content of the soil. This information is relayed to a central computer that monitors when and how much water should be used for irrigation at any given time.
As well as saving up to fifty megalitres of town water, the project is saving a potential $52, 400. That is $50,000 per annum on water and $2,400 on electricity consumption.
For an initial investment of $170,000, the project will pay for itself in less than five years and will continue to reduce Council’s water consumption by up to 15% annually.
Council's Youth Venue Aerosol Art Group have painted the tanks with murals based around the water saving theme with each tank depicting aspects of the Water Harvest project.
The Water Harvest Project is managed by the NCC Green Energy & Water Team and is a pilot of a series of similar water saving projects throughout Newcastle’s parks and reserves. The project is planned to expand to the other areas of the Foreshore in the near future.
Contact us
City Administration Centre
282 King Street
Newcastle NSW 2300
Tel: 02 4974 2000