Bus Depot Could Win Water Prize
19 May, 2009
A bus depot designed to save nine Olympic pools of water a year is one of two Brisbane City Council projects in the final stage of the 9th annual Healthy Waterways Awards.
Environment and Sustainability Chair Peter Matic said the city’s long established Creek Ranger Program could also be in the running for a gong at the 2009 Awards organised by the South East Queensland (SEQ) Healthy Waterways Partnership held on May 20.
The Awards night is part of the second annual CitySmart Innovation Festival, a program of 70 events showcasing the latest innovation under the Australian Innovation Festival.
“Council is among 19 finalists and has been recognised for outstanding contributions to SEQ waterways and catchments,” Cr Matic said.
“This will be the first time a bus depot has been entered, but it shows how Council applies sustainability across different divisions. This is an amazing project that is projected to save 22ML of water per year or $22,000 per year.”
A further 100ML per year or 40 Olympic pools could be saved in the adjacent wetland by gathering and treating stormwater.
Cr Matic said the newly launched $56m Willawong bus depot, occupying 7.2ha and housing 200 buses, had been carefully designed to conserve and recycle water.
“Council harvests rainwater from the building roofs, and gathers stormwater, which is then filtered and disinfected for washrooms and washing buses,” he said.
“We’re a finalist in two of the seven award categories, demonstrating our commitment to the Healthy Waterways partnership and enhancing our waterways and catchments.”
Cr Matic said the Creek Ranger Program operated across the city and was one of Council’s longest running initiatives.
“Council provides a ‘creek ranger’ for every major catchment, who’s responsible for building partnerships and coordinating collaborative projects,” he said.
“Thanks to this arrangement, over 22,000 people every year are inspired to spend hours getting their hands dirty to protect our beautiful river, catchments, bays and river banks.
“This includes over 4700 school children from 86 schools and 2205 volunteers. An amazing 65 industry partnerships have been forged citywide through the program.
“What they’ve achieved is testimony to how we can make a difference to our future.”
Visit greenheartcitysmart.com.au or healthywaterways.org or brisbaneinnovation.org
Event details: Gianni’s Portside, Hamilton, May 20, 6:30pm [Ends] May 19, 2009
