Sydney Water is launching a new ‘smart irrigation program’ trial to help local councils reduce their water use by up to 20 per cent, ensuring parks stay cool and green.
Four Councils, including the City of Sydney, have signed up, giving Sydney Water access to 22 parks and reserves with more than 160 sensors installed as part of the trial.
Sydney Water Segment Manager Circular Economy Greg Ingleton said we want to reduce water waste, and the intelligent irrigation project uses technology to enable Councils to use the right amount of water at the right time.
“With the changing climate, this program is a way to ensure Sydney Councils are ready for drier weather and using less water, reducing their water bills,” Ingleton said.
“We estimate that a Council’s savings will be about 20 per cent of its water bill for outdoor irrigation.
“Sydney Water aims to roll out this program to all Councils across Sydney to help make a big difference in reducing the overall city’s water use and improve the performance of our networks,” Ingleton said.
For each park in the trial, Sydney Water provides irrigation software integrating soil moisture probes placed around the park and a smart meter to provide water consumption analysis through a secure online dashboard.
This data and upcoming weather forecasts are pulled together and displayed in real-time so councils can create an optimal irrigation schedule to suit their irrigation budget and level of greenness. Councils can also use this information to manage the irrigation of other nearby parks.
“We know if parks are green and healthy, they also have a cooling benefit, which makes them more enjoyable for people on hot summer days,” Ingleton said.
“A green park in a suburb becomes a social hub. It’s where people can exercise and interact. If the park is brown and hot, people aren’t going to want to go there. It’s not an attractive environment to be in.
“When we have dry or drought years, the smart irrigation software will reduce the water volume. And, while the parks may not be as lush as normal, it enables us to balance the need to conserve water with providing cool green spaces for communities to enjoy,” Ingleton said.
While councils pay fees to participate in the program, it is estimated that the council will generally reduce the cost of this service through water savings in less than two years.
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