Monbulk Cricket Club players Travis, Daniel and Scott show off Monbulk Reserve’s lush green playing surface with Yarra Ranges Council’s Brad Martin and Yarra Valley Water’s Guy Pritchard.
By Casey Neill
LOCAL sporting clubs have almost halved their normal water use.
Sports grounds and tennis courts across the Yarra Valley Water service area used more than 500 million litres less tap water during 2008/09 than in 2005/06.
Yarra Valley Water attributes the 46 per cent saving to the Target 155 campaign and Stage 3a water restrictions.
Managing director Tony Kelly said Stage 4 restrictions would be in place without the reduction.
“Stage 4 would have devastated hundreds of grass roots communities based around our sports ovals that would have become unplayable,” he said.
Yarra Valley Water has also helped Yarra Ranges Council plant drought-tolerant grasses.
“After the first year we expect sportsgrounds transitioned to warm season grasses to have water savings of approximately 50 per cent,” Mr Kelly said.
“Over the next three years, once the grass is fully established, we are confident savings will be around 70 per cent or even greater.”
It’s also provided more than eight million litres of Class A recycled water to irrigate Yarra Ranges sporting fields, including Monbulk Reserve.
Mr Kelly urged residents to continue their water-saving efforts during summer.
