ISSUE 7DECEMBER 2014

SHOWCASING SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S WATER EXPERTISE IN

CHINA

FYFE - LOW HAZARD DAM CERTIFICATION

ICEWARM HOSTS INDIAN GOVERNMENT

OFFICIALS

PARAGON’S PROVIDING

CEO NEWS

2 Irrigation & Use. Resource Management. Leadership. Planning & Delivery.

IN THIS EDITION

CEO NEWS 2

Showcasing Our Water Expertise to China

3

Newly Appointed WIA Board 3

Paragon’s Providing 4

New Members 5

WIA Case Studies

Minter Ellison

Fyfe

ICEWaRM

Toro

-

6

7

8

9

What’s On & Out and About 10

What’s onTHURSDAY 4 DECEMBER 2014 12.00pm - 2.00pm Roundtable Luncheon with Dr Leanna Read, Chief Scientist for South Australia - Principal and Leading Edge members only.

TUESDAY 9 DECEMBER 2014 4.00pm - 5.00pm Members Night and Christmas Celebration!

FRIDAY 19 NOVEMBER - MONDAY 5 JANUARY 2015 The WIA Office will be officially closed for the Christmas and New Years holiday. For anything urgent please leave a message on the office phone and we will return your call as soon as possible. waterindustry.com.au/events

Font cover image courtesy of Fyfe.

As we reach the end of another year, I find myself reflecting on what we have achieved as an industry in South Australia.

The last decade has seen us come through the drought successfully, increase efficiency, manage demand, construct alternative water sources, participate in the successful centralization of management of one of the world’s larger river systems and put in place a plan that should, if properly implemented, provide water to sustain the environment.

Having done all that, in many cases world firsts, we now have turned to trying to reduce costs to make water more affordable.

As an industry body, the Water Industry Alliance has continued to work hard in 2014 to deliver benefits to members, to ensure that they are finding value in their membership.

Over the past financial year, over 1000 members have attended WIA events. It has been excellent to see the extraordinary value that members seem to place on face to face activities, especially in an age of increased and pervasive electronic communications.

2014 has seen the WIA find better ways to work with Government, to grow our markets, especially during the investigative, draft, policy and final announcement stages. We have also been supporting the State Government strategies for India and China to open up wider market opportunities for the industry.

Having been to China on two separate occastions and meeting with overseas delegations, this has reinforced how the world sees Australia as leaders to follow in the water sector.

This year has also seen the Water Industry Alliance staff team expand, with Ron van Buuren joining the team as our Cluster Facilitator. This will see much more focus and development of our internationally competitive smart specialisiation groups and their capabilities.

We look forward to continuing with these endeavours in 2015, and working with our members to develop our ever changing and growing industry.

Andy Roberts

Chief Executive Officer

waterindustry.com.au 3

NEWS

Showcasing Our Water ExpertiseRecently, Andy Roberts, Water Industry Alliance CEO lead an Austrade organised delegation of 11 Australian companies across China. The delegation showcased the cutting edge skills and expertise that the Australian water industry possess and the areas that they can offer experience in.

As part of the Austrade Australian Five Waters Mission the 11 delegates, including four WIA members, GHD, TAFE SA, Waterfind and EIB Consulting, visited Hangzhou, Jiaxing and Shanghai, all part of the Zhejiang Province, and demonstrated the broad range of technologies and services that the Australian industry can offer the Province in addressing their key water challenges.

The Australian delegates focused on capabilities surrounding water rights trading, rainwater collection and reuse, wastewater treatment technology, flood forecasting, water quality monitoring, water remediation and the control and management of water pollution.

Andy, as CEO of the WIA, not only lead the delegation, but represented over 160 companies of whom are members of the WIA. “This is a fantastic opportunity for Australian companies to showcase their leading capabilities in water, and assist with the challenges that China faces,” he stated.

The Australian Five Waters Mission comes as a result of the initiative launched by the Zhejiang Government, Integrated Management of the Five Waters Program, to address the key water challenges in the Province. The Province, with a population of approximately 52 million people, has seen rapid growth in social and economic development as well as urbanisation. This has created the need for investment into the growth of its current facilities to ‘improve quality and efficient distribution of drinking water and the collection and disposal of waste’.

“With the help of Austrade, this Mission is providing Australian industry the opportunity to build a relationship with the Zheijiang province which is showing great leadership in investing in their future through the Five Waters Project. We should help and encourage China as it works towards this goal of sustainability especially in the water sector.”

Above photo includes; General Manager of the Hangzhou Qige Wastewater Treatment Plant, with Luisa Rust, Trade Commissioner, Australian Trade Commission, Shanghai and Andy Roberts, CEO, Water Industry Alliance.

Introducing the Newly Appointed Water Industry Alliance Board of DirectorsFollowing the Annual General Meeting at the end of November, industry body, the Water Industry Alliance (WIA), has appointed a new Board of Directors.

The newly appointed Board of Directors is constructed of a range of professionals who bring a broad spectrum of skills and expertise across the water sector, to the WIA. This will provide a good platform for the essential input and guidance that the Board provides to shape the strategies carried out for industry.

The elected Board members for 2015 are;

Judith Bradsen, Cowell Clarke

Robran Cock, TRILITY

Keith Downard, Tonkin Consulting

Michael LeVene, APC Integration

Jim McGuire, SA Water

Andrew Sarich, RPC Technologies

Philip Verco, Fyfe

Alister Walsh, Waterfind Australia

Tim Waterhouse, Sentek

“The Water Industry Alliance has a strong track record of attracting outstanding individuals from industry to participate on the WIA Board, and this year was no different” said Andy Roberts, WIA CEO.

“This year saw a strongly competed election, which has once again formed a well-equipped and professional Board to guide the WIA through 2015.”

Andy Roberts further expressed his enthusiasm for working with the directors for 2015, “to drive the next level for the water industry.” He also conveyed his sincere thanks to previous directors for their contributions to the Board, some of which have served for many years.

Stay tuned to learn more about each of our Board Members!

WIA Christmas Operating HoursThis year the Water Industry Alliance will closed over the Christmas and New Years period.

The office will close from 12 noon on Friday 19 December and reopen at 9am on Monday 5 January.

We wish all members a happy and safe Christmas and New Years and look forward to working with you in 2015!

For any urgent matters please leave a message on the office phone (08) 7424 2466 and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

4 Irrigation & Use. Resource Management. Leadership. Planning & Delivery.

NEWS

Paragon’s Providing Water Industry Alliance Growth Member, Paragon WHS, is a new player in the Work Health and Safety (WHS) area in South Australia. They are a service provider authorised by Safework SA to deliver Health and Safety training to HSR representatives.

Facilitators at Paragon WHS are highly qualified and experienced in the delivery of WHS and other training, with over 30 years of combined experience in the training sector.

Courses offered utilise the latest information and resources available to comply with the Work Health and Safety Act 2012. Paragon WHS designs their presentations to be fun and informative, they provide an interactive format so there is no ‘death by Power Point’ in their training sessions.

Health and Safety in the workplace is of utmost importance to Paragon, and it is their belief that it must be tempered with the ability for organisations to access information, share it with their workers and implement the processes that keep us all safe at work with a minimum of fuss and the least amount of disruption.

The business offers a wide range of training, including in-house training

that is delivered on site at your workplace.

Paragon’s Managing Director, Peter McWhinnie recognises the importance of working around a business’ schedules to deliver the right training, and ensure that workplace health and safety is taken care of.

“If you ask us to deliver to your night shift workers at 2am on a Sunday morning, we will be there, bright eyed and bushy tailed.” Peter said.

Paragon’s range of services include; - HSR training, levels 1, 2 and 3. (Approved and endorsed by Safework SA) - WHS awareness training, either on site at your workplace or at facilities located in your area. - WHS audits. - Certificate 4 and Diploma of WHS via our association with the RTO 40406 Matlin Professional Development. (These are Nationally Recognised Qualifications) - WHS consulting.

In covering the spectrum of WHS needs, Paragon are happy to assist in any way they can, they are able to provide training for your workforce, direct you to appropriate solutions for gaps you may have in your policies and procedures for compliance, assess risks and provide PRACTICAL SAFETY SOLUTIONS which are cost effective, informative and

functional in mitigating risk in your workplace.

As a new member, Paragon WHS are offering WIA members the opportunity to take advantage of a special member offer. Paragon are currently offering a WHS awareness course, of length that varies from 90 minutes to 2.5 hours depending on the content and industry, as they are tailored to target specific applications and solutions, for all workers for just $60 per person, (delivered on site at your workplace, minimum numbers required). At the completion of the course each participant receives a certificate of attendance outlining the subject matter of the course which validates your organisations commitment to WHS and ensures your workers have been informed of their roles and responsibilities relating to WHS. A copy of this document should be kept by your organisation in each workers’ training folder for future reference.

For more information contact Peter McWhinnie on 0407 828 879 or check out their website for more information at www.paragonwhs.com

Making a Splash in the Industry2015 Water Industry Alliance AwardsHelp us celebrate the achievements of the South Australian water industry and recognise the leading businesses at the 2015 WIA Smart Water Awards on Friday 22 May 2015.

Interested in aligning your support with our essential, ever changing and growing industry, with leading contributors who are creating the edge of technologies and innovation in the industry; see more at www.waterindustry.com.au/news/2015-wia-awards.

waterindustry.com.au 5

Welcome to our

new WIA members

Leading Edge

CAMMS

Growth

Paragon WHS

Australian

MEMBER CASE STUDIES

Minter Ellison

Fyfe

ICEWaRM

With the demand for innovation in the way we use water, many WIA Members demonstrate why they are the leaders in their field. Our Member Case Studies put their examples on the line and show you just what they are doing for the industry, many of them, revolutinising it.

Toro

NEWS

Groundwater Technologies

Gentrack

Networking

Lion

Quantum Edge

Water Utilities Group

Deloitte

Akuna Infrastructure

Solutions

Dematec Automation

6 Irrigation & Use. Resource Management. Leadership. Planning & Delivery.

CASE STUDIES

Water Security Stormwater Management SystemsAuthor: Manik Meah, Partner, Minter Ellison SA/NT

South Australia faces significant water pressures in the coming decades. Stormwater management was once viewed as simply a matter of drainage, but environmental pollution along with restricted supply and flood risks have prompted the need for integrated water management systems throughout the state.

Stormwater harvesting in Adelaide, South Australia could potentially increase five-fold through implementing an effective stormwater management system. This provides scope for the development of new projects, which in turn raises several economic and legal risk issues for government, end-users and investors before any new stormwater management project can be delivered.

Many factors in planning and operating a stormwater harvesting scheme need to be considered upfront in order to achieve cost-effectiveness and environmental outcomes. These can be categorised into three areas: scheme objectives, risk management and operations.

1. Scheme objectives

Stakeholders need to identify clear scheme objectives at both a direct and broader regional level, e.g. targeting decreased reliance on potable water use, flood risk mitigation and reducing stormwater pollution.

The objectives and purpose will need to respond to community concerns to garner understanding and support.

2. Risk management

Environmental improvements are often core to any scheme therefore risk management planning and identification of relevant statutory environmental and planning requirements need to be clarified upfront. In addition to the usual environmental and topographical considerations, when assessing potential sites, neighbouring property, regulatory constraints, land use and zoning issues need to be accounted for. At a minimum, it is necessary to assess the potential and quantity of end-uses of the water in the vicinity as well as any sources of potential pollution.

Once this assessment is complete, the options can be evaluated which must take into account social, economic and environmental factors.

From a social and community perspective, there needs to be an assessment of potential risks to humans, potential flooding impacts caused by weirs and the resulting improvements that can be made to community assets. At the other end, economic modelling should address the capital costs of design, construction and land acquisition, and the future ongoing operational costs across the life-cycle. These will need to be balanced with forecast savings in water costs, income from stormwater sales and consequential economic benefits of using the treated stormwater. Where there are end-users, seasonal variations and reliability of supply needs to be considered.

In cases where the constructor and any subsequent operator are separate entities, the costs, rewards and risks of the scheme will need to be allocated among the parties so that not only do all parties benefit from the scheme, but they also have an interest in optimising project outcomes.

Essentially, to successfully deliver a scheme, the risks and rewards need to be fairly and equitably spread between the parties and managed by the stakeholders.

3. Operations

3.1 Identify and quantify risk

Stakeholders need to decide what level of risk they will accept, and then identify the potential hazards and related factors associated with those risks. This includes costing the risk if it can be quantified. Risks and hazards need to be eliminated or mitigated where possible to meet or better investment requirements. In practice, this means implementing mechanisms to prevent hazardous events from occurring, particularly in the case of public health or environmental hazards. To meet the latter, operators must have clear monitoring plans to ensure that prevention mechanisms are providing the required results. This is required in addition to compliance with statutory environmental management plans.

Operators also need to comply with occupational health and safety requirements to ensure that their employees conduct their duties safely. For example, where the catchment is above-ground and unenclosed, operators must take safeguards against drowning, infection risks from public

access and collapsing embankments.

3.2 Development plan

Operationally, there needs to be a clear commitment by the parties to an appropriate and agreed management of the scheme. Qualified personnel will need to be employed or engaged. If the operator is an external party, a framework for sustainable management of the scheme should be prepared during the development phase. The development plan should clearly allocate roles and responsibility between the parties on the management of various risks, as well as clearly identify key milestones which can be objectively measured. Analogous arrangements will also need to be made where one party deals with the stormwater before it is used by another.

3.3 Funding

As stormwater harvesting is generally not yet viable on a purely monetary basis, it is mostly done by the public sector (primarily local government) for public good e.g. flood mitigation purposes.

Insofar as funding is concerned, local government is often aided by state or federal government grants or private investment, usually confined to bank loans or funding from end-users such as sports clubs.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are not used, although they could be in projects that produce economies of scale, in the case of large projects or projects that are bundled together. One benefit of using a PPP delivery model is that private sector money can be utilised where government cannot otherwise fund the scheme itself. Understandably, there have been calls to involve PPPs in financing stormwater projects. There have also been calls to structure projects in a manner to attract investment from superannuation funds looking for long-term and reliable gains. Use of stormwater bonds has also been considered for use in South Australia.

However, while none of the above alternative funding models have yet materialised, the fact that discussion on this topic continues indicates that debate is still alive. Industry stakeholders, the public and end users all have an interest to broker these much needed solutions.

Manik Meah is a Partner at Minter Ellison SA/NT. He heads up the Project, Construction and Infrastructure division and has an interest in water. Manik has advised on many water projects in Australia and overseas.

waterindustry.com.au 7

CASE STUDIES

Low Hazard Dam CertificationWhen a change was made by the Department for Environment and Resource Management (DERM) in 2011 to the licence conditions for water storage on gas leases, a coal seam gas producer required engineering certification for more than 50 existing dams in South Eastern Queensland. Fyfe took up the challenge of providing the most efficient certification to clear the backlog of existing non certified dams in a way that would enable the company to continue operations and meet production schedules.

Fyfe initially reviewed the DERM requirements in depth and liaised with the regulator to identify a suitable framework and reporting method that would enable the dams to be classified as “low hazard” retrospectively. After approval of the method by DERM, Fyfe were engaged to provide a thorough assessment for hydrological performance, embankment stability, liner acceptability and location suitability for environmental and human safety. The assessment involved site survey, geotechnical testing hydrological assessment, environmental impact and civil engineering and, as a multidiscipline provider, Fyfe was in a position to efficiently complete and coordinate this process.

The next task Fyfe undertook was to check for any existing original design drawings. As a number of these sites had been purchased from previous operators there was minimal or no existing information for the leases and dams. With the lack of detail available Fyfe devised a two stage strategy to capture as much information as possible from one site visit to each location. to ensure cost and time efficiency of the process.

Stage one was the collection of information. The first obstacle was how to survey the dam at each site in a safe and efficient manner. As some of the dams are quite large, to survey the inside bottom of the pond was challenging and hazardous. The challenge was to be able to survey all aspects of the dam without having a person enter the dam area, as this was firstly a safety issue but secondly could cause damage to the existing liner. The use of a remote control boat with echo sounder and GPS was discussed but the cost was far too much for the desired result. Two

of Fyfe’s survey project managers who had extensive experience in working in the South East Queensland coal seam gas fields put their heads together and designed a low cost “survey buggy” with an extended pole that could be manoeuvred with in the pond to take the required readings. The buggy was a modelled on a golf buggy with two painter’s poles attached for depth and manoeuvrability with consideration that it needed to be a low cost item to manufacture. Operating the “buggy” required a three man survey crew instead of the usual two man survey crew to ensure the crew’s safety, as with a two man crew the buggy operator would not be visible to the surveyor taking the readings. Trials of the buggy showed it to be successful. A survey procedure was created a snippet of which is provided below:

The water is deemed hazardous so please follow the Risk Assessment and the JHA accordingly. Cross-sections should include outside toe, outside top, inside top, water level and inside toe as a minimum, To reach the inside toe the customized prism pole is to be wheeled down the slope, stood upright and held level at point which is best approximated as the bottom toe. This point will be under water and unable to see, so a best judgment approach is required. Be sure to check and double check target heights during this process.

As a cost and efficiency saving measure the surveyors were also trained to complete a number of other tasks whilst on site. Firstly they completed a liner inspection, with details required including the type / colour of the liner, any noticeable rips or tears, if the line was adequately buried and secured, the appearance of bulges or bubbles from trapped gas or air and photos were taken. Secondly they collected the soil samples needed for the geotechnical testing. This meant that all site requirements were completed in just one visit.

Stage 2 was to complete an assessment of the critical embankments, complete geotechnical review and prepare a final report. The survey data was utilised to prepare selective cross sections through the lease dams and a hydrological assessment and environmental impact of each site was completed, using available mapping.

The soil samples which had been delivered to the SQS Nata accredited lab in Roma by the surveyors underwent the classification and testing. Fyfe then completed a geotechnical review for each site, where a slope stability analysis was completed. Finally all the information was collated into a final report for each site which certified that the dam was indeed “low hazard” and provided any recommendations for changes to ensure the certification could be ongoing, including advice on liner maintenance and inspection regimes.

Fyfe completed inspections and reports of the first 50 dams over an initial period of 6 months which satisfied the DERM requirement and enabled continued gas production. Since then Fyfe continued to complete low hazard dam certifications on an ongoing basis until all existing dams were completed, including wells in the Scotia Gas field. The work that Fyfe completed on these dams and the processes established also helped develop new protocols for constructing low hazard dams using insitu liners. This enabled new dams to be readily verified for use in the future, whilst minimising construction costs and meeting environmental compliance regulations.

Fyfe Pty Ltd is a multi-disciplinary consultancy providing comprehensive engineering, environmental, planning, and surveying services throughout Australia. Fyfe work with a wide range of clients in the Energy & Resources, Infrastructure and Property sectors to provide high quality, commercially pragmatic solutions with a strong focus on client service and delivery. Fyfe can be contacted on 08 8201 9600 or info@fyfe.com.au.

8 Irrigation & Use. Resource Management. Leadership. Planning & Delivery.

ICE WaRM 2015 Short Courses - to see the full list of courses, head to www.icewarm.com.au/register

See all Presenters: www.icewarm.com.au/presentersPresenters include:

Andrew JohnsonPIRSA

Rob O'NeilInfrastructure NSW

Nicola FryAGL

Stuart BrownPB

Noel MerrickHydro Simulations

Gary HumphreysDept of Water, WA

Joanne Vanderzalm CSIRO

Julia GrantDEWNR

Peter DillonCSIRO

Wayne MeyerUniversity of Adelaide

Simon TozeCSIRO

Lisa MensforthDEWNR

Ph: 08 8236 5200Web: icewarm.com.au

ICE WaRM Short CoursesICE WaRM offers leading water management training courses. Designed and developed by highly regarded professionals, the courses are facilitated by teams of practitioners chosen specifically for their breadth of experience and for their commitment to a mentoring approach. ICE WaRM can also tailor courses to your organisation’s needs.

High-Level Visit from Jharkhand, IndiaICE WaRM hosted several senior officials from the Water Resources Department, Jharkhand, India. This visit followed an invitation from the Department of the Environment, supported by Department of Foreign Affiars and Trade under the Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio.

Visiting Sydney, Canberra, Shepparton, Adelaide and the Murray Mouth, their objective was to better understand the initiatives and interventions in the Murray-Darling Basin for the development and management of water resources.

The trip provided opportunities to see Australian water resources management first hand and strengthened links between India and Australia.

For over a decade, the Adelaide-based International Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Management (ICE

WaRM) has maintained an enduring contribution to capacity building for the water sector, both nationally in Australia and internationally, through the development and delivery of:

•Non-award intensive short courses covering a very wide range of water-related topics, offered as public programs and tailored to meet specific training needs- see courses below

•Postgraduate education, specifically multi-university Master of Water Resources Management programmes, including Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma options

•Professional Development Programmes, designed for particular interest groups, typically of one to three months’ duration and incorporating broader leadership knowledge and skills

•High-Level Short Programmes for senior water sector decision-makers in their countries or regions, covering special interests including major trans-boundary water management

ICE WaRM showcases South Australian companies and WIA members through its education and research activities and by coordinating short courses and seminars.

ICE WaRM helps to foster and develop relationships further afield through its extensive international relationships.

Investigating SA Water MAR Site at Adelaide Airport, Mr Kumar, Dr Singh (WRD, Jharkhand), Greg Ingleton (SA Water) & Trevor Pillar (ICE WaRM)

Short Courses include:Australian Water School: Fundamentals of Water Science, Technology and Governance Australian Water Modelling School: Evaluation, Methods, Programs, Pitfalls and BenefitsAdapting to Changing Climate: Impacts on Water Management Climate Resilient Water Sources: Desalination and Water Reuse Gas Policy and Water Management: Environmental Assessment for extracting CSG, Shale GasGroundwater Essentials: Storage, Movement and Management of GroundwaterGroundwater Contamination and Remediation Behaviour, Evaluation and Risks of Sub-surface Pollutants HEC-RAS Water Modelling: Hydrologic Engineering Centres-River Analysis System Hydrology and Hydraulics for Non-Engineers: Water Science for Practitioners, Managers and Policy MakersInternational Water School: Surfacewater & Groundwater Science, Technology & GovernanceManaged Aquifer Recharge (MAR) In collaboration with a number of partners Surfacewater-Groundwater Interactions: Principles of Recharge-Discharge, Conjunctive Use and GDE’sWater Essentials: The Australian Water School in 1 day Water Management for Landfills: Groundwater Processes, Contaminant Behaviours, Regulation and DesignWater in Mining School:

CASE STUDIES

waterindustry.com.au 9

CASE STUDIES

New Toro Control System Helping Glen Eira CouncilOne of Melbourne’s major city councils has turned to Toro Australia to help it improve and maintain its sports grounds, parks and gardens.

The City of Glen Eira in south eastern Melbourne has around 70 hectares of open space and sporting facilities it maintains on behalf of almost 130,000 ratepayers.

Each of these sports fields, parks and gardens has its own unique irrigation requirements that are met through a network of sprinklers, drippers and, in some cases, hand watering.

Computerising and automating these functions is key to ensuring the best possible results with the most efficient use of staff, water, fertiliser and time.

The City of Glen Eira has six permanent ground staff, a number that increases to as many as 12 during the summer when turf cricket wickets need to be maintained.

Glen Eira recently completed a $400,000 upgrade of its irrigation system, adding a new generation Toro® Sentinel® Central Control System, Toro® Turf Guard® sensors, as well as four new weather stations.

The Council’s Grounds Maintenance Coordinator, Mr Peter Todd, said the new Sentinel system has the ability to run up to 16 individual programs with eight separate start times and as many cycles as can be fitted into a day. It is designed to meet the diverse irrigation requirements of sports fields, parks, garden beds and trees.

He said the previous central control system had been installed some 15 years ago and had reached its use-by date.

”We’ve replaced the old central control system and have incorporated the remainder of our smaller parks into the new Sentinel system,” said Mr Todd.

“One of the main reasons we chose Sentinel was that it could incorporate up to16 separate programs.

“While other systems are available that can provide multiple start times, they did not have the flexibility we needed for our irrigation needs.”

The Sentinel system, together with its related sensors and weather stations, can operate by itself or can be easily

adjusted to take into account the different requirements of winter and summer watering.

Mr Todd said the system could be accessed and controlled remotely via tablet computers, rather than through a central point for the ease of grounds staff.

It is also flexible enough to enable the grounds staff to isolate individual valves so they can work on turf cricket pitches or in the establishment of new gardens.

Mr Todd said the Sentinel system is easy to operate and he managed to completely set up all sites and write all the necessary programs for the whole system in a matter of a few days.

Toro’s Turf Guard System is a key part of the upgrade.

Mr Todd: “Turf Guard provides significantly more data than traditional soil moisture monitors, which only indicate when it is time to irrigate.

“Turf Guard sensors also provide information on soil temperature and salinity levels, which are important in maintaining high quality grounds.

“We have converted many of our grounds to couch grass, which we oversew with winter grasses to meet the requirements of football and other winter sport and to maintain a green surface when the couch is no longer active.

“When we see soil temperatures increasing to certain levels after winter, this is an indicator for us to initiate our spray program to remove the winter grasses and promote active growth of the couch as early as possible.

“Salinity levels give us data about the optimum time to fertilise.

“We can monitor how quickly the salinity levels drop as the fertiliser is taken up by the turf and when the best time is to reapply.

“We recently completed a trial system and it was interesting to watch how the fertiliser was taken up following a rain event.

“These sensors take out the guess work and ensure fertilisers are only added when they are needed, which saves money and provides a better result.”

Toro Australia has won an array of awards for its technology, the Toro® Sentinel® Central Control System won the 2012 Smart Water Irrigation and Use Award and the Toro® Turf Guard® Wireless Soil Monitoring System won the 2013 Minister’s Award for Water and Climate Change Leadership.

10 Irrigation & Use. Resource Management. Leadership. Planning & Delivery.

Upcoming Events

Out and About1) Australian Water Solutions Mission to China at the Shijiuyang Wetland in Jiaxing, with Paul Beauchamp TAFE SA, Stuart Peevor ESCOSA, Zhang Fu Biao, Tom Rooney Waterfind Pty Ltd, and Andy Roberts Water Industry Alliance 2) The Australian Water Solutions Mission to China visits Bailonggang Sewerage Plant 3) Tim Flowers from Beach Energy presenting to WIA Members at the October Members Night.

UPCOMING EVENTS & OUT AND ABOUT

December 2014December Roundtable Luncheon with the Chief Scientist, Dr Leanna Read Thursday 4 December, 12 - 2pm The British Hotel, North Adelaide

December Member’s Night & Christmas Party - Phil Endley, Managing Director, Lower Murray Water Tuesday 9 December, 5.15pm - 9.00pm, Basetec Services, Prospect January 2015Water Industry Alliance Wine Tour Barossa Valley Timing and details to be released very soon! February 2015February Member’s Night Speaker TBC Tuesday 17 February, 5.15pm - 7.00pm, SA Water Learning Centre, SA Water

March 2015March Member’s Night Speaker TBC Tuesday 17 March, 5.15pm - 7.00pm, SA Water Learning Centre, SA Water

April 2015April Member’s Night Speaker TBC Tuesday 21 April, 5.15pm - 7.00pm, SA Water Learning Centre, SA Water May 2015May Member’s Night Speaker TBC Tuesday 19 May, 5.15pm - 7.00pm, SA Water Learning Centre, SA Water 2015 WIA Smart Water Awards Friday 22 May, 11.30am - 2.30pm Adelaide Convention Centre

June 2015Member Renewal Period

June Members Night Speaker TBC Tuesday 16 June, 5.15pm

Stay tuned to learn more about the exciting events

that the WIA have planned for 2015!

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waterindustry.com.au 11

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