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FINAL REPORT
TUMUT GOLF CLUB EFFLUENT REUSE SCHEME
An overview of Tumut
Tumut is located midway between Australia’s major capitals and the region is spectacular
in natural beauty and diversity. Tumut is the northern gateway to the Kosciusko National
Park and the intersection of the Snowy Mountains Highway and Snowy Valleys Way,
two of Australia’s great high country touring routes.
The Tumut Region is enjoying a second decade of sustained growth with a traditional
agricultural and horticultural based economy enhanced by major investment in plantation
timber, manufacturing, transport/logistics, and power generation industries. Along with
tourism, retail and service infrastructure that diversity underpins a number of favourable
economic indicators including population growth, employment growth, income growth,
and increased residential property values. Tumut is the primary service centre to a
regional population exceeding 20,000 people, with significant retail, education, health
and associated services.
Planning
The rationale behind the scheme
The Tumut Golf Course is an 18 hole course with grass greens and prior to this scheme was
irrigated with raw water from the Tumut river, with up to 75 megalitres (ML) per year previously
being used.
The Tumut Shire Council raw water system provides water to Councils parks & gardens, and
several other customers and has limited capacity to supply all customers during peak periods.
This situation has at times resulted in the Golf Club being limited in water for irrigation during
these periods.
This scheme will provide the following benefits:
1. More than satisfy the demand for irrigation at the golf club by being able to provide up to
150 ML/year of recycled water.
2. The system has the potential to supply another sports field situated adjacent to the rising
main.
3. Replaces existing fresh water usage from the Tumut River and reduces the volume of
treated effluent discharged to the River thus providing environmental benefit to the river
system.
4. Provides security of supply to the golf club not affected by water shortages and
subsequent water restrictions
5. Provide vastly improved playing surfaces at the golf club.
6. Increase patronage of the golf club and provide a ‘knock on’ affect to the township from
increased visitation.
General description of the scheme
The scope of works included:
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A pump station and chlorinator at the sewage treatment plant
2.34 kilometres of 150mm diameter PVC rising main
A holding dam including security fence
Radio telemetry control and monitoring system
150mm diameter feed main to irrigation pumps
Supply of irrigation pumps and screen filter
The recycled effluent delivery works will be operated and maintained by Council and the
onsite irrigation system will be operated and maintained by the Golf Club.
The golf club funded and upgraded the onsite spray irrigation system.
Design considerations of the project
Councils engineering department completed all survey, design, negotiations and
approvals for the project. The majority of the works were constructed within Council
property and or road reserves.
A small portion of the works encroached onto decommissioned railway land controlled
by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), and a formal agreement for a pipe
crossing of their land had to be completed, this includes payment of an annual fee of $220
to them. The pipeline also encroached onto Crown land known as ‘Jarrah Park’ and
formal approval to construct the pipeline across this land was obtained from the
Department of lands. The golf course is also situated on Crown land and formal
approval had to be obtained from the Crown to construct the scheme on this land.
Council recently (2007) constructed a new sewage treatment plant at Tumut and this plant
produces very high quality effluent which is discharged to the Tumut River at a rate of
900 ML/year. The reuse system draws effluent from a 2 ML ‘Catch/balance’ pond.
Effluent entering the Catch/Balance pond is chlorinated to inhibit algal growth in the
pond.
The reuse system is designed to pump 75 KL/hour on single pump operation or 115
KL/hour in dual pump operation. Irrigation of the golf course and operation of the
pumping system would normally occur between to hours of 10.00 pm and 7.00 am during
‘Off peak’ electricity tariff times.
Effluent is pumped 2.3 kms via a 150mm PN 16 PVC pipeline against a total head of 85
metres. The pumps utilized are 23 kW Grundfos Model CR64-4 multistage, with soft
starters. The effluent is chlorinated with sodium hypochlorite injected immediately
downstream of the pumps and the chlorine dose is adjusted so as to maintain a free
chlorine residual of between 0.5 – 1.0 mg/litre in effluent entering the storage dam.
The storage dam was designed with separated inlet and outlet pipes to encourage turnover
of the water within the dam so as to minimize algal growths.
The concept design for the delivery works was prepared by the Manager Assets and
Design, Council staff then completed a detailed survey of the pump station site, pipe
alignment and storage dam utilizing GPS (Trimble) survey equipment. Staff carried out a
hydraulic analysis of the pipeline utilizing the Iplex Pipelines website. (users must
register to use this site).
http://www.iplex.com.au/iplex.php?page=user&id=812&vc=2e0bc73a06a591fd5ea9a5f8
3540e9cc
Detail design was completed utilizing CivilCAD and AutoCAD software.
From the dam the 150mm PN 16 PVC outlet pipe supplies effluent to the new irrigation
pump set fitted with an automatic backwashing screen filter.
The underground irrigation system is designed to provide the following amounts of
recycled water:
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115,621.48 square metres of fairway are to be irrigated at 25mm per week
5,214.90 square meters of green are to be irrigated at 50mm per week
3,340.41 square meters of tee are to be irrigated at 25mm per week
Risk Assessment and Approval in Accordance with s.60 of the Local Government Act 1993.
Council has prepared an extensive Risk assessment and submitted it to The Department of Water
and Energy for Approval in June 2009.
A formal agreement for the Use of Recycled Water has been entered into between Council and
The Tumut Golf Club Ltd.
Overview of Scheme
Project Milestones
Milestone
Number
Milestone Detail
Planned
Completion
Date
21/11/2008
1
Complete survey, detail design and gain all approvals
2a
Complete effluent rising main
13/3/2009
2b
Complete Effluent pump station, Chlorinator, electricals
and controls
13/3/2009
2c
Complete storage dam, associated pipework, telemetry and
fencing
Complete testing and commissioning
13/3/2009
3
10/4/2009
Note: The works were actually completed and commissioned on 15 May 2009.
The Golf Club has since installed the new irrigation pumps and upgraded the
underground irrigation system, with testing completed 16 October 2009. Depending on
rainfall it is expected the scheme will commence regular operation in early November
2009.
Official Opening
The Hon. Dr Mike Kelly AM MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Water will be officially
opening of the scheme on 9th November 2009.
Yours faithfully
John Maxwell
Manager Assets & Design (Engineering Services)