Asset map allows for better management

Maintaining and managing irrigation systems on golf courses and in other urban landscapes is a challenging task. The job becomes even harder with the passage of time as the original plans are lost and modifications made to the system not being carefully noted on plans. There are many contractors who have arrived on site to be met with a design plan that they soon discover bears little resemblance to the actual hardware in the ground.

This was the case at the Darwin golf course, located in Darwin's northern suburbs. The Rainbird system, first installed in 1980, was still operating but club officials felt sure the performance of the system could be improved. The problem was they did not know where most of the key irrigation assets were!

Locating key assets

A set of PDF plans detailing the approximate location of mains, valves, and sprinklers was available to Course Superintendent Scott Trembath, however, these were not geo-located and positions were imprecise. Not having the course irrigation infrastructure as an editable document made it hard to keep track of changes, and not having it geo-located made it hard to pinpoint trouble spots and to direct staff to an exact position for works and irrigation scheduling.

To address this problem the Director of Greens for the Club, Phil McWilliam, prepared a scope of works tender to map:

After the mapping was completed, the club also required that both PDF and DWG plans be prepared of the in-situ irrigation system and geo-location of key irrigation infrastructure.

Asset map Figure. Completed map of irrigation assets on Darwin's golf course

JP Water was awarded the contract to complete the work and, with the assistance of a local Darwin Dial Before You Dig contractor, began the process of locating all the irrigation assets using a GPS and then transferring the data to a format that could be used by the course superintendent.

The data from the GPS was exported out of the handset in .dxf format, imported into AutoCAD Map 3D, and the file then edited to show the required information. Plans were prepared showing the irrigation infrastructure with an aerial photo of the course underlay.

By using a PDF program with the ability to turn on and off the various layers of the drawing, the operator can readily access only the required layer needed without having to deal with extraneous information. The PDFs are editable documents, which means that the plans can now be updated regularly so that scheduling can be refined, maintenance/upgrade programs planned and future changes to the course irrigation structure plotted and planned before implementation.

As the specifications of installed sprinklers are noted, it will become possible for the differing makes, models and nozzle sizes to be nominated and changed to suit stock holdings, staff training and availability from local suppliers.

The club is delighted with the results of the mapping project.

“Having precise locations for all our irrigation infrastructure is essential so that we can accurately plan for the future. All our irrigation installations are now correctly mapped and JP Water has provided the information in a very usable format. We can now move forward confidently, knowing where everything is located.”

Asset data allows for irrigation improvements

Since the completion of the survey it has become viable to optimise mainline flow patterns in line with scheduling requirements. The immediate effect of this has been to lower operating pressures of the pumps, raise the potential for optimising water use and to consider off-peak operating times using cheaper electricity. This is just the beginning of what is possible given accurate site and asset data.

One major innovation at that time was the decision to water the course using recycled effluent water pumped from sewerage treatment ponds about 10 km away. The water is treated by the NT Powerwater Corporation on site using a three-step process to supply Class A+ reuse water, complying with the Department of Health requirements.

The first stage involves a Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) plant to flocculate particulates. This process separates the raw sewage into water for further treatment and a sludge layer which is transported back to the sewage plant. The DAF clarified water is then subject to microfiltration. Microfiltration is carried out using a hollow fibre membrane in a self-cleaning system. The final stage of the process is chlorination which completes the water treatment to the standard required.

The recently completed mapping now means that golf course management has the tools to optimise the performance of the irrigation system, reducing both their water and power demands.

From bush to golf course

The first Darwin Golf course was carved out of the bush by local enthusiasts in 1930. This course was used for about five years before the members relocated it to another site at Lake Alexander. That course remained “in play” until April 1974, when it was again relocated - to its current site in the Marrara area in the northern suburbs of Darwin. In 1980 the club, with the assistance of architect Gary Hunt, embarked on a vision to create one of Australia’s first integrated golf course residential communities.

The development comprised a par 72, eighteen-hole course designed by Peter Thompson and Michael Wolveridge, and surrounded by a residential community consisting of individual housing lots facing onto golf fairways with associated small commercial and medium density precincts.

Since then the club has evolved and the course is well patronised with members playing 21,347 competition rounds a year.

A true innovation, in 1980 when the course was redeveloped, was the concept of irrigating it with recycled water, pumped from sewerage ponds 10 km away.

Back to articles