Hydro-zoning

What is Hydro-zoning?

Hydro-zoning is the practice of grouping types of vegetation into categories with similar water requirements to reduce the occurrence of overwatering.

How is the City Hydro-zoning?

In this instance, the City has identified the opportunity for hydro-zoning on reserves located within the City of Vincent depending on the nature of the areas within the reserve.

For example, many sports fields are circular or square and have a high trafficable and usable area with a surrounding buffer zone. This buffer zone is typically is not a highly trafficable area.

The intention is to irrigate the highly trafficable area with adequate water to serve the requirement of the reserve while irrigating the surrounding low trafficable area with the calculated lessened required water.

This practice is implemented as an effort to conserve water at the sites that have been identified whilst still providing a high quality turfed area for the designed use.

Achieving permanent water reduction

Firstly, the investigation of existing opportunities for hydro-zoning has occurred over the past few years.

Secondly, implementation plans have been prepared for the individual sites indentified in the investigation phase. These plans include the planned new irrigation regime for both the high trafficable and low trafficable areas.

Careful monitoring of these sites will carry on to ensure the reserves continue to operate at maximum capacity whilst using the minimum water possible.

Recently a large number of meters have been installed on the bores used within the City. This will allow the City to accurately calculate how much water is saved by this measure of conservation.

For further information regarding water conservation and current initiatives within the City, please contact the City’s Project Officer – Parks & Environment on 9273 6000 or by email at sarah.hill@vincent.wa.gov.au.