Water Management Planning
The short term context for water management.

Melbourne has entered Level 2 water restrictions. This has immediate implications for sports field irrigation but the real impact will not be felt until at least October. Landscape assets are showing signs of stress as vegetation responds to record drought conditions. Turf areas are most noticeably affected with extensive areas requiring replacement, but woody vegetation, especially trees, are showing symptoms of long term moisture deficit.

The long term

The use of potable water supplies for irrigation is an ongoing environmental issue. The State Government's Twenty First century Melbourne; a WaterSmart City report prepared in 2002 has targeted open space water use for savings of 2000ML by 2050.

Conservatively this requires a water use reduction of at least 20% over current levels. This may involve replacement of potable water with alternative water sources and will certainly require greater efficiency in irrigation. Reductions in water demand of this magnitude will also require changes to vegetation performance expectations and vegetation types.

Implications for Landscape Managers

Landscape managers cannot sit back and wait to see what impact water rationing will have on landscapes. Collectively we have responded to Level 1 restrictions as though they were temporary phenomena. Water is an important input into many landscapes and is required for those landscapes to meet community expectations for appearance and performance.

Responsible organisations will prepare a Water Management Plan to guide long term use of water in their landscapes. The plan will describe where and how water is used in the landscape and what the performance objectives are from irrigation. It will also guide processes in scheduling irrigation and practices in maintaining irrigation systems. Key performance indicators will be selected and monitored to demonstrate best value in water use.

A staged water management planning process

Australian Landscape Management has developed this process in collaboration with the Centre for Urban Horticulture at Melbourne University.

The initial Water Management Audit establishes how water is currently being managed in terms of data and knowledge, information systems, processes, people issues and practice. Results are graphed and compared with industry standards and best practice. Any gaps are described and detailed recommendations made for improvement.

The second stage is to act on audit recommendations. Depending on the current state of knowledge and practice this may involve Site Profiling, Irrigation System Audits and water budgeting to plan and control water use. Appropriate performance indicators will be selected and measurement systems established.

Any necessary costs in upgrading irrigation infrastructure to achieve greater efficiency in water application can be calculated and explained in an Infrastructure 'Business Case' Report suitable for use in budgeting.

At the conclusion of the water management planning process a Water Management Plan can be prepared.

Cost

The following costs apply to standardised services. A customised fee proposal can be provided upon request. The total estimated fee for a metropolitan open space system is $18,000. Prices are quoted excluding GST

• Water Management Audit $2,000
• Water Use Policy $95/hr
• Irrigation System Mapping (includes supply of GPS/GIS) $95/hr
• Site Profiling (10 sites plus free Water Budgeter software) $4,500
• Irrigation System Audit (includes Site Profile) $900/system
• Infrastructure 'Business Case' Report $95/hr
• Supply and establishment of Irrigation Database software $2,500
• Water Management Plan $10000 or $95/hr

Outputs

Water Management Audit

A 12 page report including graphs of performance versus industry standard and best practice. Detailed recommendations are provided as the basis for further water management planning.

Water Use Policy

A documented basis for water purchase and use in landscapes based on consultation with relevant stakeholders. Strategies for reducing water demand are covered along with objectives for improvement in irrigation efficiency.

Irrigation System Mapping

Site investigation and mapping of irrigation meters, controllers and outlets in MapInfo or ArcView GIS. The system configuration will be entered into a database for inclusion in an asset management system.

Site Profiling

A copy of the Water Budgeter software populated with the soil and vegetation profile data for the 10 sites that is necessary for preparation of water budgets. Irrigation schedules for each site based on long term average weather data indicating the most, least and average irrigation requirement.

Irrigation System Audit

Testing of 3 sectors of the irrigation system for uniformity and rate of application. Specific recommendations are provided for system scheduling, repair, maintenance or improvement. Includes Site Profile for each system audited.

Infrastructure 'Business Case' Report

Based on knowledge of irrigation system condition and efficiency, water consumption and costs, a report will be prepared outlining the business case for infrastructure renewal in terms of payback period and water saving.

Supply and establishment of Irrigation Manager software

This software links irrigation system configuration data with water consumption to enable measurement of achievement of performance indicators.

Water Management Plan

A concise and useable plan that integrates knowledge of irrigation systems and practice with policy and performance objectives. Totally comprehensive in the treatment of best practice and how to optimise water use for your landscapes.

For more information contact: Stephen Thorpe or Chris Deakin.