Irrigation and pump upgrade for soccer field

Snapshot

• A recent upgrade to the irrigation and pump systems at Ardeer Soccer Club in Melbourne has resulted in a more playable, durable and safe pitch
• Low water pressure and proximity to houses were issues to be considered in the design of the irrigation system and the selection of the pump

The home ground of Ardeer Soccer Club is Ardeer Reserve, located in Brimbank City Council in Melbourne. On most weekends in the soccer season, it hosts a range of teams, from junior through to seniors, so maintaining a safe playing surface is a priority for the club and ground management. Having an irrigation system that supplies water to ensure good quality turf is an important component to ensure the pitch surface remains playable, durable and safe.

Recently, the club and Brimbank City Council decided that it was time to upgrade the existing irrigation system as part of a makeover to the ageing pitch, which was requiring more maintenance. This was done as part of an overall site upgrade including building a new clubhouse and facilities.

The solution

According to irrigation designer Anne Andersen from Smart Water, who is a long-time Irrigation Australia member and certified irrigation designer, the irrigation system and pump setup were designed after careful attention to client requirements and based on similar designs for upgrades to parks and ovals in the Brimbank City Council area.

One of the issues with most, if not all, soccer pitches and ALF ovals is that a “wear corridor” develops in the middle of the playing areas. This was a consideration for Anne when designing the placement of irrigation laterals.

“Often, they are placed across the field, but for this job, they were run lengthways. This allows ground staff to isolate and give extra attention to the wear corridor by controlling individual sprinklers,” she explained.

Also, HDPE poly was specified for the pipework. According to Anne this was the result of finding that during the Millenium drought in Victoria, poly pipe was much more durable than the PVC, which tended to pull apart in the severe conditions.

A feature of mains water pressure across the Brimbank area is that it is relatively low, and this affected the performance of the old irrigation system, which fed directly off mains water. To try and overcome this, the system had twenty valves, but they took too long to provide adequate coverage of the playing surface.

Because the system suffered from pressure reductions, a new pump and tank system was needed to supply irrigation water efficiently and at pressures that were higher and more even. Another important consideration was that, with the reserve being in a residential area, the specified system would have to operate quietly.

The solution was to connect the cold-water mains feed from the existing 50 mm potable water meter used to service the old irrigation system to a new 100 kL steel tank. To ensure that there was enough downstream pressure and flow for the new irrigation system, a booster system was specified, which allowed the pitch to be irrigated by nine valves. This greatly reduced the irrigation window.

The booster system chosen to meet the duty of 7.5 L/sec at 800 kPa was a Lowara model 33SV05/1A-HPS Hydro Pac complete with Hydrovar controller and 65 mm stainless steel manifold mounted on a stainless-steel base. This custom booster system was installed in a steel cabinet, which satisfied the criteria of having a quiet system in the residential area.

One of the reasons that Brimbank City Council went with this system was based on their previous experience with installing Hydrovar systems for other parks and sports.

The pump unit and irrigation system were installed by Century Rain Team Leader Craig Tooze, and they are managed through a Hunter ACC controller which is monitored remotely at council headquarters.

The result?

The result is that irrigation water is delivered to the system much more efficiently and that it is applied more evenly and at rates to ensure surface playability and safety. As can be seen from the before and after satellite photos, the proof of the effectiveness of the makeover can be seen in the difference in turf quality.

[Article originally appeared in the Irrigation Australia Journal]