Gundagai
Atmosphere & Weather | Biodiversity | Catchments | Resources Use
Effluent Re-use Irrigation System
This "snapshot" profile celebrates a recent environmental initiative within this LGA.
When three local clubs (Bowls, Golf and Services Clubs) merged to form one club within the town of Gundagai the opportunity existed to create a new golf course behind the new club on land previously used as a grazing common.
Golf Course fairway with historic
timber bridge in background
Council was at the time under some pressure to cease disposing of the towns’ effluent to the Murrumbidgee River and combined with the new club and the community to install an effluent irrigation system to the new golf course. The system has now been operating successfully for some years with 100% effluent re-use being achieved.
Sustainability Overview
- Sustainability benefits from the project: the community now achieves total re-use of the towns’ effluent and the golf course will benefit from the irrigation for many years to come.
- Lessons learned (both good and adverse outcomes): more funds should have been spent on lining of effluent retention areas in the first instance. Unfortunately like most projects funding was limited – we are hopeful that a Sustainability Grant can be obtained to correct this situation. On the good side – 100% water re-use, a new golf course with grass greens (the old one had sand greens), ideal tourism promotion and a cleaner Murrumbidgee River
- Challenges and next steps yet to be addressed: installation of a phosphorous removal system to avoid build up of phosphorous in dry times. More works on the effluent retention area to provide more secure lining to ensure that the effluent is all retained and not lost to groundwater tables.
