Water
General
This topic covers a careful approach to collecting, forwarding, purifying and recycling water. The University has adopted principles of good water management since inception and intends continuous improvement in these practices. Refer to the sub-topics below for specific detail.
Sub-topics
Water demand management
Water recycling and re-use
Water demand management
Generally
Water demand management is a tool applied in two ways: using infrastructure to reduce or eliminate unnecessary or inadvertent demand, and using education to reduce deliberate demand. This Master Plan is concerned only with the former.
While it is true that human demand becomes progressively more crucial as the climate becomes more arid, there is a benefit in adopting a practice of careful demand management, even in the sub-tropical climate of the Sunshine Coast.
ESD principles
Whilst water recycling helps limit the use of potable water by influencing the supply side of the water balance, water efficient systems and practices help reduce water use by influencing the demand side.
Opportunities exist to influence demand-side water use, such as:
- sub-soil irrigation, automatic timers with soil moisture sensor control override
- 4 star Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) rating or higher for toilets, taps, showers, etc
- waterless urinals
- water flow meters, and
- recycled water piping alongside mains water piping
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Water recycling and re-use
Generally
The University established innovative water management processes from inception, and the system of ponds, swales and lakes that lead to the Mooloolah River remain better made, and more effective, than similar systems installed in the adjacent Chancellor Park residential development. Nevertheless, everything can be improved.
One obvious area of improvement is to extend existing water harvesting practices beyond irrigation. This topic discusses sources of water and potential uses.
ESD principles
The collection and treatment of rain, storm and waste water should be optimised to minimise the quantities of potable water consumed by the site as a whole.
Water may be collected and treated from the following sources:
- rooftops (rainwater)
- landscape (stormwater)
- on-site sewer (greywater and blackwater), and
- off-site sewer ('mining' from existing trunk sewer)
Possible non-potable water uses that may be able to utilise highest quality treated recycled water rather than mains water (potable) include:
- toilet flushing
- irrigation
- heat rejection pond
- cooling towers
- hard surface washdown
- export to neighbouring water users (eg parks, local river,schools), and
- car washing
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