3 November 2009

Construction work will begin on the innovative Roof Water Harvesting demonstration site this week.

The Warrnambool Roof Water Harvesting Project is a demonstration project in partnership with the Federal and State Governments and subdivision developer Cove Land Developments Pty Ltd. The project will utilise the roof area in the new Russell Creek Residential Estate subdivision of Warrnambool as an urban catchment to harvest water for future use in the city’s water supply system.

Wannon Water, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Jeffers said, “Rodger Constructions has been appointed to build a trunk main connecting the new Russell Creek Residential Estate to Wannon Water’s existing Brierly Street raw water storage basin.”

“The pipe network will capture rain water collected on household roofs from the new development and transfer it to the existing Brierly basin via the dedicated trunk main. The roof water will be mixed with other raw water, treated at the Warrnambool Water Treatment Plant and then supplied back to the city,” Mr Jeffers explained.

“Two kilometres of trunk main pipeline will be constructed, with works expected to be completed in April next year. Connection pipes on properties will be installed once the development has been sold,” Mr Jeffers said.

“The 142 lot Warrnambool subdivision demonstration site provides a valuable working example of how developers, water corporations and Councils can work together to reduce the water resource impact of expanding residential areas by simply harvesting the water from the roof tops that are causing the increase in demand,” Mr Jeffers said.

“Once the demonstration site in Warrnambool is completed the harvested roof water will represent 76 per cent of the subdivision’s annual household demand with approximately 21ML a year of roof water harvested to supplement the Warrnambool water supply, providing an innovative way to access roof water as an alternate water supply source,” Mr Jeffers said.

“The project is believed to be the first of its kind in Australia. It will provide a working demonstration of a more sustainable approach to water management by using the new “catchment” of a roof created in population growth areas,” Mr Jeffers added

Funding for the Roof Water Harvesting Project has been provided through the Australian Federal Government “Water for the Future” program and from the Victorian State Government "Stormwater and Urban Recycling Fund".  This funding together with contributions from Wannon Water and Cove Land Developments Pty Ltd allows the demonstration site to be established and the regional harvesting principle to be explored in other areas of Australia. 

More information regarding the Roof Water Harvesting Project is available by clicking here.

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