HELPING TO SOLVE LOCAL WATER PROBLEMS

Many years of drought are impacting on the everyday lives of Australians. In Victoria, the last decade has been the driest on record. River flows and reservoir levels are at all-time lows.

We all understand the need to conserve water and reduce demand.

What is the PROV Rainwater Harvesting Project?

The PROV Rainwater Harvesting Project is a joint project between Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) and the City of Melbourne.

PROV and the City of Melbourne are working together to harvest and recycle rainwater from the roof of the Victorian Archives Centre (VAC) in North Melbourne. The 14,000 m² roof of the VAC collects 11 megalitres (ML) of rainwater in an average year.

How will the water be used?

The rainwater will be recycled for use in the sanitary system at the VAC, and to water existing landscaping.

The City of Melbourne will use the water to irrigate street trees. They will investigate other uses for the harvested rainwater, reducing the demand for fresh water from storage reservoirs. The City of Melbourne has set a 40 per cent water savings target for the municipality by 2020. They have identified the PROV Rainwater Harvesting Project as an ‘environmentally friendly innovation’ that will help to achieve this target.

How will the project be funded?

The PROV Rainwater Harvesting Project was made possible through the Federal Government Community Water Grants program. The Community Water Grants program provided more than $120 million to fund more than 3,000 water saving projects nationwide. Other sources of funding include PROV, the City of Melbourne and the Victorian Government.

A work in progress

Stage One of the project is now complete. Four rainwater tanks have been installed at the VAC and have begun collecting rainwater. The capacity of the tanks is 0.50 ML, and it is estimated these will save up to 2.75 ML of water annually.

PROV and the City of Melbourne are exploring funding options with the objective of increasing water storage capacity to 1.55 ML, increasing the projected maximum amount of water saved annually to 6.55 ML.

Reticulation of the water is also planned for the future. This would involve the supply of reticulated water to the Lost Dogs Home in North Melbourne and, as storage allows, for other community benefit.

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