In a Sydney first, Blacktown Workers Sports Club has chosen to use wastewater recycling in order to maintain its state-of-the-art sports facilities. When limited rainfall and water restrictions prevented regular irrigation of playing fields, Aquacell was called upon for an alternative solution. The outcome? Lush
green fields, thanks to the Aquacell SC100.
The Blacktown Workers Sports Club is located on the Harold Laybutt Sporting Complex and features the club, a 120-room hotel, two soccer fields, two rugby league fields or cricket ovals, two bowling greens, five all-weather tennis courts and one baseball diamond. The fields had previously been irrigated by a 1.4 megalitre capacity stormwater dam but, in recent years, drought had rendered this method insufficient. A new approach was required and so came about the decision to construct a wastewater recycling facility onsite.
The hotel and club provided the wastewater and Aquacell provided the recycling solution. Wastewater is mined and treated in Aquacell's SC100 aboveground membrane bioreactor system. The SC100 system includes an aerobic biological treatment zone and an enclosed, submerged ultrafiltration
zone for thorough treatment. Further disinfectant occurs using ultra-violet rays, before the recycled water goes into storage in 108 kilolitre tanks for future irrigation.
A recycled water supply pump is used to transfer this water to the irrigation system The Aquacell water recycling system has benefited the club and the environment in a number of ways:
- Recycling water that would otherwise be discharged to the sewer
- Recycled water is less expensive than mains water supply
- Water recycled onsite is always available, regardless of rainfall or water restrictions
- Improved amenity for the club when fields are lush and ready for play
- The Aquacell unit can be moved
- The capacity of the Aquacell unit can be increased if required
- Water quality exceeds the current guidelines for irrigation
- Multiple-barrier disinfection process provides safe water
- Able to utilise the existing automatic pop-up sprinkler system
The ongoing benefits to the club will be more than just water savings. The system will help maintain the amenity and patronage to the club, the outdoor sporting facilities and the adjacent hotel. Which is good news for the more than 7,000 players who frequent the complex.
This project was the first of its kind and made a significant contribution to the understanding and implementation of private recycled water schemes in urban
areas. Many sports fields around the country have become dangerous to play on during the drought, whereas the condition of the grounds at Blacktown Workers is exemplary. Projects such as these make a major contribution to saving our precious water supplies.
