Drought Proofing Horse Racing in Victoria Final Report
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Connell Wagner Pty Ltd ABN 54 005 139 873 60 Albert Road South Melbourne Victoria 3205 Australia Telephone: +61 3 9697 8333 Facsimile: +61 3 9697 8444 Email: [email protected] www.conwag.com Racing Victoria Limited Drought-proofing Racing Final Report March 04 Reference 5937/02 Revision 1 Document Control Document IDP:\C&I\5937\02\Reports\final report (rev 1).doc Rev No Date Revision Details Typist Author Verifier Approver 0 02/04/04 Initial Issue NW NW WW JMcC 1 21/04/04 Revised for RVL/SWF comments NW NW JMcC A person using Connell Wagner documents or data accepts the risk of: a) Using the documents or data in electronic form without requesting and checking them for accuracy against the original hard copy version; and b) Using the documents or data for any purpose not agreed to in writing by Connell Wagner. Drought-proofing Racing Racing Victoria Limited Final Report Table of Contents Section Page Executive Summary 1 1. Introduction 3 2. Background 4 2.1 Project Objectives 4 2.2 Deliverables 4 2.3 Scope of the Works 4 2.4 Approach and Methodology 5 2.5 Other Related Investigations 5 3. Racecourse Information 6 3.1 Racecourse Information 6 3.2 Current Potable Water Demand 6 3.3 Current Water Resource Systems 6 3.4 Current Water Use 7 4. Statutory Requirements 9 4.1 Legislation 9 4.2 Water Quality 9 5. Alternative Water Resource Options 11 5.1 General 11 5.2 Public Water Supply (Town or Potable Water) 11 5.3 Rainwater / Stormwater Collection 11 5.4 Surface Water abstraction 11 5.5 Groundwater Abstraction 13 5.6 Effluent Reuse 14 5.7 Sewer Mining 15 5.8 OH&S Issues relating to treated effluent 15 6. Water Conservation Measures. 16 6.1 System 16 6.2 Collection and Recycling 16 6.3 Control systems 17 7. Framework of Water Resource Options 19 8. Impact of Drought 22 9. Review of Racecourses. 24 9.1 Balnarring Racecourse 25 9.2 Caulfield Racecourse 28 FILE C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\SLEES\LOCAL SETTINGS\TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES\OLK57\FINAL REPORT (REV 1).DOC ⏐ 19/01/06⏐ REVISION 1 ⏐ PAGE i Drought-proofing Racing Racing Victoria Limited Final Report 9.3 Cranbourne Racecourse 31 9.4 Cranbourne Training Centre 34 9.5 Healesville Racecourse 37 9.6 Moonee Valley Racecourse 39 9.7 Mornington Racecourse 42 9.8 Pakenham Racecourse 45 9.9 Sandown Racecourse 48 9.10 Werribee Racecourse 49 9.11 Yarra Valley Racing Centre 52 9.12 Prioritisation 54 10. Demonstration Project 56 11. Summary and Recommendations 58 11.1 Summary 58 11.2 Recommendations 58 11.3 Next Steps 59 Appendix A 60 Standard Questionnaire 60 Appendix B 61 Meeting Reports 61 Appendix C 62 Tables 62 Appendix D 63 Guidelines for Environmental Management – Use of Reclaimed Water, Section 9 Environmental Improvement Plans 63 Appendix E 64 Efficient Irrigation: A Reference Manual for Turf and Landscape 64 FILE C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\SLEES\LOCAL SETTINGS\TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES\OLK57\FINAL REPORT (REV 1).DOC ⏐ 19/01/06⏐ REVISION 1 ⏐ PAGE ii Drought-proofing Racing Racing Victoria Limited Final Report Glossary Black water Waste water from toilets and kitchens. This is not easily treated and is generally discharged to sewer to be treated at a sewage treatment works. Grey water All non-toilet wastewater. Includes wastewater from showers, baths, spas, hand basins, washing machines, laundry troughs, dishwashers and kitchen sinks. Ground water Water held in aquifers below ground that is taken from abstraction boreholes Potable water Water that is fit for human consumption (ie the public drinking water supply) Sewer mining The extraction and treatment of water from sewers Surface water Water taken from natural rivers, streams or lakes extraction Treated effluent Treated water discharged from a sewage treatment works Water recycling Collection of waste water and reusing it. This may require treatment. FILE C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\SLEES\LOCAL SETTINGS\TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES\OLK57\FINAL REPORT (REV 1).DOC ⏐ 19/01/06⏐ REVISION 1 ⏐ PAGE iii Drought-proofing Racing Racing Victoria Limited Final Report Executive Summary Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) is the peak body of the Victorian thoroughbred racing industry. As a result of the extended drought conditions in Victoria and the subsequent application of water restrictions, the thoroughbred racing industry in Victoria is at risk of not receiving adequate water supply to ensure the continued well being of the industry. As an initial step in addressing the risks involved, RVL was awarded a grant of $100,000 from the Smart Water Fund to undertake investigations of alternative water supply and improving water management for eleven racing venues around Melbourne. RVL appointed Connell Wagner to undertake investigations to identify water conservation measures and alternative viable water sources that will enhance drought proofing of the various racing venues. At present, the courses use around 860Ml of water per year, of which up to 650Ml is taken from the public water supply. Over 70% of the overall water demand is for irrigation of the courses, with the remainder being used for domestic appliances, racehorse facilities or irrigation of gardens. This study has demonstrated that if water from the domestic supply currently used for irrigation is replaced with an alternative supply, then up to 450Ml per year could be saved. If domestic appliances are replaced with more water efficient variants, then a further 28Ml/year can be saved from the public water supply demand. Overall this would be enough water to serve a population of over 8,000 people for a year. In some cases, the sites already have a secure supply and are not reliant on the public water system for anything other than domestic requirements. In others, plans are already well advanced to reduce reliance on the public supply, whilst at the same time ensuring security for drought periods. This study recommends that all courses except Sandown and Healesville produce plans for implementation of drought-proofing schemes. For the thoroughbred racing industry to decide how to invest in these courses, the priorities indicated in Table ES1 below should be used as a guide. This table has been produced to take into account that the cost of potable water is very low in Victoria. This means that there is little direct cost saving in replacing this source with an alternative (a process that can be very expensive). There are a number of incidental factors that need to be taken into account if the thoroughbred racing industry is not to be adversely affected by the continued water stress caused by the prolonged drought, however. These include financial loss due to closure, the public impact of a closure and its effect on the industry, and overall impact on the industry of the general loss of facilities. It is also recommended that the proposals for Cranbourne Training Centre and Cranbourne Racecourse are promoted as a demonstration project for the use of site drainage and treated effluent for irrigation needs. For all courses it is recommended that an audit of domestic and sanitary appliances be undertaken. This will enable the range of facilities to be recorded, their type, age and likely replacement date, which in turn will assist in the clubs producing a quantified plan to upgrade to the most water efficient products over time. It may also assist in defining those facilities where grants or other incentives are available for replacement. At the same time, any leakages or faults can be noted and repaired to minimise wastage. FILE C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\SLEES\LOCAL SETTINGS\TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES\OLK57\FINAL REPORT (REV 1).DOC ⏐ 19/01/06⏐ REVISION 1 ⏐ PAGE 1 Drought-proofing Racing Racing Victoria Limited Final Report Course Preferred Solution Indicative Potential Cost Score Financial Public Industry Water Overall Overall Cost Potable Loss Image Impact Saved Score Priority ($,000) Water Saving (Ml/year) Caulfield Racecourse Off-site drainage 550 80 1 3 3 3 3 13 1= Cranbourne Training Complex Treated Effluent 210+EIS 0 to 140 2 3 2 3 3 13 1= Moonee Valley Racecourse Sewer Mining 1000 77 1 3 3 3 3 13 1= Mornington Racecourse On site drainage 540 52 1 3 2 3 3 12 4 Cranbourne Racecourse Treated effluent & 400+EIS 44 2 2 2 2 3 11 5 on-site drainage Werribee Racecourse Treated effluent 630 21 2 2 2 2 2 10 6= Yarra Valley Racing Centre Improve on site 50 3 3 2 2 2 1 10 6= drainage Pakenham Racecourse Treated effluent 350 29 2 2 1 2 2 9 8 Balnarring Racecourse Treated effluent 80 2 3 1 1 1 1 7 9 Healesville Picnic Racing Club On-site drainage 150 0 2 1 1 1 1 6 10 Sandown Racecourse None required N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Table ES1 Summary of Proposed Schemes for Racing Victoria Limited FILE C:\DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS\SLEES\LOCAL SETTINGS\TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES\OLK57\FINAL REPORT (REV 1).DOC ⏐ 19/01/06⏐ REVISION 1 ⏐ PAGE 2 Drought-proofing Racing Racing Victoria Limited Final Report 1. Introduction Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) is the peak body of the Victorian thoroughbred racing industry. As a result of the extended drought conditions in Victoria and the subsequent application of water restrictions, the horse racing industry in Victoria is at risk of not receiving adequate water supply to ensure the continued well being of the industry. As an initial step in addressing the risks involved, RVL was awarded a grant of $100,000 from the Smart Water Fund to undertake investigations of alternative water supply and improving water management for eleven racing venues around Melbourne.