SYDNEY, Australia – A AUD$21.4 million public-private partnership between the Light Regional Council and Bunyip Water is helping to reduce a reliance on the overstressed Murray River.
The Gawler Water Reuse Scheme in South Australia includes around 43 km of pipes linking the Gawler River and a series of dams to serve existing irrigation areas.
A total of 800,000 m3/year of Murray water will be substituted by harvesting 1.2 million – 1.6 million m3/year of stormwater from the Gawler River.
The Barossa Valley, about 70km north of the South Australian capital Adelaide, is Australia’s premier wine region and is home to iconic brands including Penfolds, Jacob’s Creek, Wolf Blass and Seppeltsfield.
Designed and managed by Adelaide company HydroPlan, the project has delivered the full 1.6 million cubic metres in its first year.
Industrial Internet of Things (IOT) company Dematec delivered the control and communications infrastructure for the project. Managed by a 3G telemetry system it allows the system to be monitored remotely via tablet or phone.
The Gawler River is prone to occasional flash flooding and can pose a threat to the businesses during major overtopping events. However, it is also dry an average of three years in 10, making it necessary to incorporate Bolivar water and underground aquifers into the plan to ensure water security in dry years.
SA Water treats the water to a high standard for unrestricted irrigation in the region around Virginia, and is planning the $155.6m Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme, which will extend it north of the Gawler River.
Power has been connected to the first of potentially six bores for storing water underground, the feasibility of which has already been trialled.
John Gransbury (pictured above), principal of HydroPlan, said: “Our objective now using the results of that trial is to apply to put water underground that is suitable for irrigation, and this includes stormwater and Bolivar water when we’ve got surplus.”
The project was funded by a $10.7 million Federal Government grant and a loan from the Light Regional Council. Seppeltsfield Wines has entered into a long-term water supply agreement and has the option to take control of the infrastructure assets after six or 10 years by repaying the invested capital.
Gransbury said the project reduced the reliance on River Murray water and also reduced the amount of Gawler River runoff and Bolivar water going out to Gulf St Vincent and killing sea grass.
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