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Design, Supply & Installation of Tank, Pump Set & Pop Up Irrigation System
Marrara Christian College, situated in the northern suburbs of Darwin, has been providing education to families in Darwin and surrounding areas for more than four decades. The College encompasses 18 hectares of tropical bushland and meticulously landscaped gardens.
Within the 18-hectare area, there are two sports fields dedicated to sporting games and physical education activities. These fields serve as essential facilities for the daily routines of students, contributing significantly to their education, personal growth, and overall development.
The existing irrigation system installed six years prior, which was designed using water directly off the town main, was not enough to operate large commercial grade pop up sprinklers. The college was using domestic sprinklers in a commercial application. The sprinklers were performing poorly which resulted in dry brown spots also known as “donuts”, they were also using a lot more water than needed to and the irrigation schedule being longer than ideal, which led to daytime watering. This presented two key issues:
Initially, our project aimed to maximise the water supply, to do this we needed to determine the distance between the water main supply line and the storage tank. This measurement allowed us to calculate the correct size main line and tank storage size. The goal was to create a buffer between the overnight storage needs and the active irrigation demands, as water usage for irrigation exceeded the water supplied by the main lines.
Once this information was known, the Think Water Darwin team designed and constructed a pop-up irrigation system for the sporting fields. The system included a large tank and a dual variable speed booster pump set to support the irrigation. This process involved understanding the weekly water usage and the desired days of operation. The strategy was to reduce the sprinklers’ operating time by applying water more quickly. This would lessen their visibility and potential exposure to damage and vandalism, as the open area is accessible to the public outside of operation hours.
After completing this phase of the design project, the Think Water Darwin team could confirm the appropriate pump size. This ensured minimum irrigation run hours during the window of operation, outside of sunlight hours, and field usage. This arrangement minimised disruptions to students’ education and extracurricular activities.
After receiving client approval for the plan, the project progressed to the installation phase of the new irrigation system, tank, pump set and pump shed, and the compound security fence. Through collaboration with suppliers such as Grundfos, Toro, Vinidex, Pipe, Bermad Valves, Hunter Valves, and Hunter Hydrawise, the Think Water Darwin team successfully installed the updated system.
The comprehensive project, which encompassed both design and installation, spanned six weeks and yielded outstanding outcomes. The sporting fields now benefited from even watering, providing lush, green grass across both fields, optimising their usability during operating hours. Furthermore, significant water and power savings were achieved, along with a substantial reduction in repair and labor costs compared to the previous system.
Think Water Darwin is part of an industry-leading franchise group with more than 50 locally-owned stores across Australia and New Zealand. Each individual franchise is supported with national supply arrangements, marketing support and training.
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