Maximising water resources for future sustainability.

Rural Solutions SA was retained to produce an assessment of current water used around the property for horse drinking water, gardens, stables and livestock feed irrigation.

Lindsay Park is South Australia’s most prestigious horse breeding and training facility, however the long term sustainability of its water resources, both surface and bore, is unknown.

The land managers were also not aware of their water quality or the impacts the property is having on the local environs.

What we did.
Working with the staff from Lindsay Park, Rural Solutions SA assessed their current situation.   Issues included:

• The current sources of their water
• Its quality and sustainability
• How the water was used
• What water licences they had
• What was their usage capacity and had it already been reached?
• The location of pumps and network of pipes
• The potential for unnecessary run-off or wastage
• Was salinity affecting their water quality?
  

What we identified.
The review helped uncovered several opportunities and enabled Rural Solutions SA to provide advice on a range of topics.

The identification of their total surface area led to recommendations of how best to capture and use resulting surface water.  Storage capacity requirements were addressed, together with required changes to plumbing.

Advice was also provided on improvements that could be made in water use, for example, irrigation timing and sprinkler efficiencies.

Pollution issues on the property were identified, together with the level of staff training and technical modifications required.

What we achieved.
The assessment provided a complete picture of the water resources and usage habits of the property and the recommendations enabled Lindsay Park management to make practical decisions in prioritising investment in water capture, storage, recycling and efficiencies.

The recommendation will provide significant savings and enable Lindsay Park to maximise their water resources into the future, as well as delivering environmental benefits for the property and the environs.  Similar projects have been undertaken for Barossa Valley and Walkerville Councils.

Contact: Wayne Brown