The City of Kalamunda has taken out the Parks & Leisure Australia- WA Awards of Excellence - Research Award at the awards ceremony last night for work relating to its Managed Aquifer Recharge project. The project stemmed from the need to redevelop and expand the available sports fields by securing an alternate water source to license ground water.

The PLA Awards of Excellence aims to promote and encourage best industry practice and recognise achievements and outstanding work of individuals and teams employed in the parks and leisure industry.

The Research Project award acknowledges outstanding research achievement by a group or individual, professionals, student or academics who have made a significant contribution to the parks and leisure industry through expanded knowledge enhancement promoting the benefits or importance of the parks and leisure sector in Australian society.

Mayor John Giardina said, “The City has gained significant knowledge on process, technology and operational issues in implementing a Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR)  project. The City has shared this knowledge with numerous local governments, state government departments and industry providing invaluable data and a road-map for future storm water Managed Aquifer Recharge projects in Western Australia.”

“The announcement of the Research Award is a credit to the team, lead by Mr Dan Nelson, who took the time to engineer a solution to the water shortage issue.”

The establishment of the Managed Aquifer Recharge scheme has not only enabled the successful delivery of the Hartfield Park Master Plan, but has also provided a successful case study for numerous state departments and other local authorities facing similar challenges. The success of the MAR scheme at Hartfield Park will allow the site to continue to grow with the developing community around it.

Managed Aquifer Recharge describes the process of “… recharging an aquifer under controlled conditions to store water for later abstraction or to achieve environmental benefits.”. The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER), who regulate water resources in Western Australia, have undertaken to support MAR as a means of improving groundwater levels and as an alternate water supply in the Perth-Peel region.

According to Park and Leisure Australia a record 58 nominations were received for the 2019 PLA WA Awards of Excellence. Submissions were described as diverse, innovative and inspirational.

The City of Kalamunda’s MAR project has received accolades from far and wide, with the City taking home four awards and multiple finalist nominations to date.