AusLeisure

Watercare has provided Auckland’s Eden Park with a new custom-made water treatment plant and reinstated bore allowing the venue to switch from using treated drinking water to bore water to irrigate their turf - with projected water savings of 16 million litres of water per year.

The bore was installed more than 20 years ago but has been out of service since 2008 because sandy sediment and minerals were causing major concrete stains and clogging irrigators. But from Friday 16th April, the 25-metre-deep bore will pump out up to 163,000 litres per day to water the turf.

The water saved equates to the annual water use of 87 households.

The bore revitalisation project began in May last year when water restrictions were introduced to combat Auckland’s severe drought. The turf is sown with temperate rye grass, which requires daily irrigation in summer to keep it in prime condition. Eden Park got in touch with Watercare to see if the company could help.

Watercare operations improvement manager Anin Nama says the first step was carrying out water quality tests and advised “Watercare spends hundreds of millions of dollars a year on new infrastructure and while most of the time we build largescale projects, we can also design small boutique-sized treatment plants, such as the one for Eden Park.

“Once we’d done some water quality testing to ascertain the exact mineral make-up and degree of sedimentation in the groundwater, we could design the mini treatment plant itself.”

The bore sits unobtrusively alongside a wall next to the No 1 Field. A new mechanical filter removes large sand particles before the water is piped underground to the water treatment plant, which sits 50 metres away directly below the main concourse.

The mini-plant consists of three tanks that remove any further small particles. Chlorine is added to remove manganese and iron. At this stage, the water is clear and has been treated to a high standard but is non-potable. It travels another 15 metres to six 30,000 litre holding tanks. A booster pump sends it to 300 sprinklers dotted around playing and practice fields as required.

The irrigation system is computer-controlled but it takes the skill and experience of Turf Manager Blair Christiansen and his team of six ground staff to decide how much and where the water will go. What appears as a massive green lawn is in fact a patchwork of grass requiring complex management. Different parts of the field have their own microclimate, and the shade footprint from the stadium’s roof alters as seasons progress. 

Eden Park Turf Manager, Blair Christiansen notes “having the ability to draw water throughout the year from our own bore provides an assurance of quality for years to come when one of our greatest resources is at risk.

"Eden Park could only achieve this thanks to Watercare’s expert knowledge and generosity to bring this initiative to life."

As thanks for installing the plant, Eden Park is promoting Watercare’s proactive water-saving messaging around the stadium as part of an integrated partnership.

Eden Park Chief Executive, Nick Sautner adds "Eden Park is thrilled to be working with Watercare to develop sustainable initiatives to support the community and futureproof our ability to host domestic and international content for the city. This is one of several sustainable initiatives in place at the park which showcases our commitment to reducing the impact of our events on the environment, while aligning with a number of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.”

Auckland is still experiencing the effects of the drought, with dam levels currently close to 50%, compared to the usual normal levels of 76.9% at this time of year. Aucklanders have saved close to 15 billion litres of water since restrictions began almost a year and at the same time Watercare is bringing new water sources online. 

Watercare is looking to extend the bore water irrigation project and likely candidates include Lloyd Elsmore Park in Pakuranga – one of the largest sports parks in Auckland. Bores tend to be found in volcanic areas such as Maungakiekie where underground aquifers naturally occur.

Image top: Eden Park Turf Manager, Blair Christiansen; Image above: The bore sits unobtrusively alongside a wall next to the No 1 Field

Related Articles

29th March 2021 - Auckland’s Eden Park rated as the world’s most popular cricket ground

15th March 2021 - Eden Park announces SIX60 as headliners of its first concert

16th February 2021 - Samsung and Eden Park partner to install New Zealand’s largest digital screen

9th February 2021 - Auckland’s Eden Park gets confirmation it can stage concert events

15th January 2021 - Eden Park makes history by gaining rights to stage concerts

4th December 2020 - Devotees get the chance to take home a part of Eden Park’s hallowed turf

20th November 2020 - Eden Park launches new TORO Turf Cam allowing fans to watch venue transformation

4th November 2020 - Eden Park backs New Zealand disability employment initiative

30th October 2020 - Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark leads opposition to Eden Park’s concert plans

17th October 2020 - Eden Park prepares for Sunday’s Bledisloe Cup clash

12th October 2020 - Eden Park takes on fish and chip business naming rights for Bledisloe Cup

6th October 2020 - ASB makes history with Eden Park naming rights deal

17th August 2020 - Super Rugby Aotearoa competition ends with Eden Park fixture cancellation

18th July 2020 - Eden Park to become New Zealand’s home of esports

8th July 2020 - Eden Park looks to hosting of multiple World Cup events over next three years

5th June 2020 - Eden Park Chief Executive ‘thrilled’ at prospect of again welcoming fans to watch live sport

19th May 2020 - Quality of Eden Park’s playing surface recognised by New Zealand Cricket

28th June 2019 - Eden Park moves forward with sustainability initiatives

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.