AWA WA award recognises water excellence at White Gum Valley
WGV at White Gum Valley has won the 2017 WA Water Sensitive Urban Design (Graham Heal) award at the Australian Water Association (AWA) Western Australia 45th Anniversary & Water Awards Dinner.
The award recognises “excellence in total water cycle management resulting in better on-ground water, wastewater or drainage outcomes.” The accolade highlights the industry-leading approach to urban water management and scheme water optimisation demonstrated at White Gum Valley by Josh Byrne & Associates, together with partners including the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC).
Located in the Fremantle suburb of White Gum Valley, WGV is a 2.2 ha LandCorp “innovation through demonstration” residential infill development that showcases precinct-scale design excellence on multiple levels. The project targets a 60% reduction in mains water use across the various housing typologies and has been endorsed by the Water Corporation’s Waterwise Development Program.
Key water saving initiatives include a community bore irrigation supply for use in both public and private gardens, and lot-scale rainwater harvesting systems for toilets and washing machines. Homes include advanced water efficiency measures and a range of water sensitive landscaping features are integrated across the development site. Smart metering of all water sources provides real-time data that will assist householders to better manage their water use, while validating performance modelling assumptions used during the design of the project.
The push for setting mains water efficiency targets beyond those considered industry better practice has been led by Josh Byrne & Associates in partnership with key stakeholders including Water Corporation, LandCorp, Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, City of Fremantle, CRCWSC, CRC for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL), Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute, and UDIA.
Further detail about the project is provided in the corresponding White Gum Valley Case Study, a resource developed by the CRCWSC.
The project learnings are also being shared with the wider industry through events, tours and technical publications, and WGV is also the subject of Density by Design, a factual web series produced by VAM Media as part of the broader research project on low-carbon residential precincts being undertaken by Curtin University for the CRCLCL.
The WA award follows other recent good news, with CRCWSC faces among those recognised among the AWA’s Queensland Water Awards, including for work on better recovering resources from wastewater.