By Grace Frost
Construction of a new recycled water pipeline is underway in Kilmore, set to ensure green recreational reserves year-round, including the racetrack at Kilmore Racing Club.
The Kilmore Recycled Water Scheme, costing $3.1 million, was put in motion after Kilmore Racing Club highlighted the difficulty of upkeeping the irrigation of racetracks during drought periods.
The 4.4-kilometre pipeline will transfer fully-treated, class B recycled water from the Kilmore Wastewater Management Facility on Costellos Road to recreational facilities in town.
It will initially deliver up to 113 million litres per year to irrigate at Kilmore Racing Club grounds and nearby recreational facilities, including the oval at JJ Clancy Reserve, Kilmore Golf Club and Kilmore Cricket Club.
Kilmore Racing Club chief executive Ben Murphy said water insecurity had been an issue for the club for about 50 years.
“The reality is, we were trucking water in,” he said.
“We’ve got a bore on site, which has a high salinity content. It’s just the domino effect – we use salty water and then you have to treat the salt in the track, and then you’re relying on rain.”
A report suggested recycled water would address the issue, prompting the club to contact Goulburn Valley Water.
After nearly eight years, Goulburn Valley Water, Kilmore Racing Club, the State Government via the Department of Energy Environment and Climate Action, DEECA, and Mitchell Shire Council agreed to collaborate on the project.
Chris Smith and Associates are managing the project on behalf of Goulburn Valley Water.
The State Government contributed $1 million through an Integrated Water Management Scheme grant, which Mr Murphy said ‘got the project over the line’.
Kilmore Racing Club contributed $731,000 towards the project, supported by Racing Victoria and Country Racing Victoria.
The project could deliver up to 160 million litres in future stages, possibly extending the supply network to irrigate other recreational reserves, ovals and curbsides.
The class B water cannot be routed for household-use as it has restrictions around human contact.
Goulburn Valley Water managing director Steve Capewell said the scheme would improve the sustainability of the Sunday Creek water supply system.
“Creating sustainable, alternate supply options helps preserve drinking water supplies and helps reduce the need for drought response measures like water restrictions in the future, which will be a really great outcome for Kilmore residents,” he said.
“Our raw water storages supplying Kilmore dropped below 10 per cent in 2019 and we had to introduce stage two water restrictions as a result of high water demand and low inflows from limited rainfall.
“There’ll always be people flushing toilets. There will always be industries discharging liquid waste.
”You can have El Nino drive the long, hot summers. There will always be water here, these pipes will always be pushing water into town.”
The recycled water was previously supplied to Goulburn Valley Water-owned land and other sites for irrigation purposes.
Dr Capewell said the pipeline would allow for a ‘higher value use’ of the treated water without the need for ‘significant and expensive’ treatment asset upgrades.
“It’s recycled to the environment currently, but now we’re recycling it to the community,” he said.
Mr Murphy said the racing club were grateful to the project’s partners for their support.
“We’re really grateful for the support of Goulburn Valley Water, because not only does it help Kilmore Racing Club, it’s a community project,” he said.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Fiona Stevens said she was pleased to see the project come to fruition when she visited the site last week, and hoped it would be replicated throughout the shire.
Lancefield-based company DigRite Excavation is undertaking the construction on a $1.6 million contract.
Works are expected to be completed in autumn next year.
Photos and videos by Pam Kiriakidis