The grass will be greener on Knox City Council sports-fields thanks to an innovative stormwater harvesting project.
Knox Mayor Darren Pearce said the ‘Warm Season Grass – Stormwater Harvesting’ initiative involved the upgrade of nine sports-fields across the municipality.
Council and the Victorian and Federal Governments contributed to the $5.2 million worth of upgrades.
“Grass roots sport and recreation is the heart and soul of suburbs and communities the length and breadth of Knox,” the
Mayor said.
“The reserves and fields that we use are a focal point for the local community and encourage healthy social interaction and participation.
“That’s why, at a time of variable climate, it’s more important than ever to take steps to ensure our sports-fields and reserves remain available to our community.
“Most importantly, we are putting stormwater to good use, while reducing our demands on drinking water.”
The ‘Warm Season Grass – Stormwater Harvesting’ initiative involved the planting of drought-resistant grass and installation of sub-surface drainage and irrigation, at nine venues across Knox.
In addition, Council also installed stormwater-harvesting systems at Wally Tew Reserve and Dobson Park.
The Mayor said the State Government contributed a total of $1.5 million funding towards the upgrades, with the Federal Government contributing $220,000.
“Council gratefully acknowledges and thanks our project partners, the State and Federal Governments, for their support of this project,” he said.
“Most importantly however, we acknowledge and thank those community members who advocated so persuasively for upgrades to their local sports-fields. Knox will be an even better and healthier place to live because of their efforts.”
