A print version of this case study is available to download. [PDF document, 395KB]
The City of Holdfast Bay, South Australia, is located in metropolitan Adelaide, approximately 11 kilometres south west of the Adelaide city centre, and has a population of 33,689.
Council has been a participant in the Water Campaign™ since December 2005.
The City of Holdfast Bay was a successful applicant in the first round of the 2005 Australian Government’s Community Water Grants. The grant enabled Council to install a 22,000 litre rainwater tank in the Brighton Civic Centre car park.
The project was launched on 25 May 2007 by His Worship the Mayor Ken Rollond and special guest Paul Francis, State Rivercare Facilitator for the Australian Government.
- Paul Francis, State Rivercare Facilitator for the Australian Government, at the project launch
The project involves the collection of rainwater runoff from the Brighton Civic Centre building, which is stored in a tank for reuse in the building’s nine lower level toilets.
A back flow prevention valve prevents mains water from filling the tank and an automatic mains converter switches the water supply from rainwater to mains supply when the water in the tank falls below a predetermined level.
Mayor's quote from Tanked Up launch:
"Council’s leadership as a responsible corporate water user is once again demonstrated with this practical partnership initiative, following its commitment to the ICLEI Water Campaign™, which sets targets to reduce water consumption and improve water quality at both corporate and community levels."
The current water crisis facing those communities heavily reliant on the River Murray was a major factor that inspired Council to address water conservation in its community.
Water and waterway management is a key environmental component of Council’s Environmental Management Directions Plan 2005–2008 (EMP).
Joining ICLEI Oceania’s Water Campaign™ is one of the ways Council plans to achieve an EMP objective to create clean waters and reduce water consumption.
The EMP also acknowledges the importance of community education, and the role of Council to demonstrate sustainable practices to the wider community.
Holdfast Bay Environmental Management Directions Plan 2005–2008 [PDF document, 570KB]
The Brighton Civic Centre was chosen as the project site due to it being a high profile building. The Centre houses the Council’s municipal offices and a council chamber, and is a key interface between Council and the community.
The Centre is a prime location to demonstrate a water saving initiative and educate the community about water reuse.
Council submitted an application for an Australian Government Community Water Grant outlining their proposed project. Its funding submission was successful and Council then arranged development approvals for the rainwater tank.
Council took the opportunity to engage members of the community and invited tenders from six local businesses. Team Poly at Lonsdale and Brighton Irrigation were chosen to take part in the project and provided in-kind contribution towards the materials.
Team Poly assisted with the supply of the tank and Brighton Irrigation provided materials, including the pump and water diverter.
In return for their commitment to the project, the businesses received high-profile publicity in the community education component of the initiative.
- The brochure holder near the tank
Promoting the rainwater reuse project and acknowledging the project partners and funding from the Australian Government took a number of forms.
Council, business and Australian Government logos were featured on the tank sign and educational brochure encouraging rainwater tank installation.
Two thousand brochures were produced and made available through the Civic Centre as well as the waterproof brochure holder erected near the tank.
Council also promoted the initiative and its partners through:
- advertisements in the local community newspaper, reaching an audience of over 69,000
- an editorial in Council’s quarterly newsletter, Holdfast Bay Views, distributed to over 20,000 households
- an editorial in Stormwater Matters, a publication delivered to over 2000 local businesses.
- The tank’s plumbing works
Once delivery of the tank was taken, plumbing works were completed and arrangements for the ‘Tanked Up’ launch were made.
The launch was a high profile event for Council, and the ribbon cutting ceremony signalled the completion of this joint project, which demonstrated the success of local businesses, local government and the Australian Government working together to achieve a common goal.
The launch was well supported by Council staff and provided an opportunity to thank all the project partners. Local media were also invited to cover the launch.
Water conservation
The project is expected to save 132,000 litres of water each year, which will be reflected in future financial years’ water bills.
Community engagement
The project has also strengthened relationships between local businesses and Council, and generated positive publicity for the project partners.
The local businesses that became project partners were enthusiastic about being part of this initiative, as demonstrated by their in-kind contributions. Council has made a commitment to acknowledge its project partners in any additional opportunities that may arise.
Council aims to support local businesses where ever possible, to help strengthen the local economy. Sourcing local products is also an objective in its EMP.
This joint project was funded by the first round of Australian Government Community Water Grants, the City of Holdfast Bay, Team Poly at Lonsdale and Brighton Irrigation.
Total project costs equalled $18,349. Community Water Grant funding totalled $9002, Council supplied $7435 and the project partners contributed $1912 in materials and services.
- The Brighton civic centre rainwater tank
The rainwater reuse initiative was proposed in Council’s EMP. This had three key benefits; there was in principle support from Council for the initiative, the initiative concept had already been developed and therefore writing the Community Water Grants application was reasonably straight forward, and the external funding provided an opportunity to prioritise implementation of the action.
As the installation of rainwater tanks becomes more popular, there may be increased waiting lists for supply. Council experienced a delay, although fortunately it did not impact upon the project’s timeframe.
It is recommended that councils make early enquiries into any waiting periods before finalising implementation timelines.
Further information
City of Holdfast Bay website
See the Community Water Grants website for information about current funding and lists of previous grant recipients.
Contact details
For further information about the ICLEI Water Campaign™ in Australia please contact:
ICLEI Oceania
4/267 Collins St
Melbourne Vic 3000
Ph: +61 3 9639 8688
Fax: +61 3 9639 8677
Email: oceania@iclei.org
Website: www.iclei.org/oceania/water
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Sybille Hafliger, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Officer, City of Holdfast Bay, for her assistance.
This case study was produced with the support of funding from the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources.
Quoted Population figures are taken from the 2002 Australian Bureau of Statistics Report, 2000–01 Regional Population Grown: Australia And New Zealand.
Call for future case studies
Does your council have an initiative that could be promoted by the Water Campaign™?
If your council has implemented an innovative water saving initiative or project to improve water quality, we may be able to profile your action in a future case study. Contact your Water Campaign™ state manager with details.
