Water Smart Burnside

The City of Burnside accesses water from two large-scale projects that provide water to multiple councils. These projects supply treated water that is suitable for watering vegetation, rather than potable water. This water is considered fit-for purpose, meaning that the water is appropriate for the way it is used. Using fit-for-purpose water sources reduces water treatment costs. There is no need to create potable water for watering parks and gardens.

ERA Water is a regional project designed to provide an alternate source of water for council parks, reserves and playing fields. Water is harvested from Third Creek and Fourth Creek when there are high flows of stormwater (eg during winter). This water is then cleaned by a purpose-built wetland at Felixstow Reserve and a filtration system in Hamilton Reserve, adjacent to OG Road. Once the water is cleaned, it is pumped into a natural underground aquifer where it is stored until it is needed in the drier months.

The water harvesting and storage infrastructure is primarily based in the City of Norwood, Payneham & St Peters. Additional infrastructure has been built to distribute the water to other Councils. In Burnside, there is an extensive network of pipes that distributes the water to 20 reserves (as can be seen on the map), plus an underground tank in Langman Reserve. Most of the infrastructure for this project is underground where it cannot be seen. Valve units are installed at reserves where the water is used (pictured below). The purple pipes indicate that the water is not potable (ie it is not water for drinking).

This project reduces the Council’s reliance on mains water and reduces stormwater discharges into Gulf St Vincent. ERA Water is a collaboration between City of Burnside, Town of Walkerville, and City of Norwood, Payneham & St Peters. The scheme has delivered significant community benefit through the capacity for it to provide a cost-effective water supply to maintain the high standard of public open space and playing fields. This has both on-going social and environmental benefits, which will be heightened during times of drought and constrained water supply from other sources by enabling these green spaces to be maintained to a consistently high standard. Further information about this collaboration can be found on the  ERA Water  website:

The Glenelg to Adelaide Parklands (GAP) project delivers recycled water for the watering of parks and reserves. The water comes from the Glenelg Wastewater Treatment Plant and is used by Councils, including the Cities of Adelaide, Burnside and Unley. The water is treated to be fit-for-purpose for watering vegetation, but is not treated to be potable water. This water source is climate-independent as source of water that is available regardless of local rainfall. Over 50 km of pipeline deliver the water. Within the City of Burnside, GAP water is used to water the trees on Alexandra Avenue and Prescott Terrace. Most of the infrastructure for this project is underground where it cannot be seen. Further information about the GAP scheme is available from  SA Water. 

Urban areas include a lot of hard surfaces like roads and paths. These hard surfaces stop water and air from getting into the soil below. Plant roots need water and air in the soil. Permeable paving can be installed to allow water and air into the soil below.

The City of Burnside uses specially designed pavers, with built-in gaps that allow water and air through (pictured). When it rains, water seeps through the pavement, rather than creating runoff into the stormwater system. There are several types of permeable pavers and they do not all look like the pavers pictured.

Watch the Burnside Neutral episode about permeable paving:

Sections of paths are laid as permeable paving during path upgrades or new projects, particularly if there is limited space in the adjacent verge to allow infiltration of water, or if paths are close to trees. Permeable paving can be used on paths along roads or in reserves.

Permeable paving can be used in several ways on roads and in car parks. At  Bell Yett Reserve  there is a car park with a large area of permeable paving. When it rains, the rainwater can infiltrate between the pavers. If it rains heavily, water from the paving area can overflow into a  swale  at the low end of the car park. The swale allows further infiltration of water to occur. In the unlikely event of the swale filling with water, the system has an overflow into Second Creek.

At  Glenunga Hub , a small area of permeable paving is part of a larger car park. The bitumen surface of the surrounding car park directs water flow onto the area of permeable paving where infiltration can occur.

On  Clifton Court  in Stonyfell, there is a section of permeable paving which was installed to reduce local pooling of water during heavy rainfall.

Council verges run along most roads, between the road and property boundaries. These verges support thousands of  street trees in the City of Burnside.  Verges provide a challenging environment for trees because they are surrounded by hard surfaces and have limited space for water to get into the soil. To improve water capture and infiltration, Council installs underground tanks beside trees in many verges.

The tanks are like big plastic crates designed to capture water and allow it to soak into the surrounding soil. These tanks are typically 150 L and wrapped in geofabric, a material that allows water out but stops soil getting in. Because they are used to increase the volume of water soaking into Council verges, these devices are called verge soakers. There are two types of verge soakers used in Burnside, B-Pods and kerbside inlets.

B-Pods receive water from the roof of a house nearby. Typically pipework directs the stormwater runoff from the roofs of houses directly into the street gutter in front of the house. When a B-Pod system is installed, this water is first directed into an underground tank and, from there, allowed to infiltrate into the soil. If there is ongoing heavy rain, the B-Pod system will overflow onto the street to avoid local waterlogging.

Watch the Burnside Neutral episode about B-Pods:

Kerbside inlets receive water from the road. A grate is placed in the kerb. This grate allows water flowing along the kerb to flow into the underground tank. The grate is designed to reduce the amount of debris entering the tank. If there is ongoing heavy rain, the tank system could fill and additional water will not enter the system, thus avoiding local waterlogging.

In addition to  Verge Soakers , several other measures are used to improve soakage: swales, rain gardens and soakage pits. Many of these soakage systems are vegetated. Plants benefit from the water collected and contribute to the amenity and functionality of these systems. For example, plants draw water from the ground to reduce waterlogging, stabilise the soil, reduce the movement of sediments, and help remove nutrients and pollutants from water.  Therefore, plants are an integral part of a Water Smart City.

Swales can occur naturally, but the ones featured on this website have all been constructed as part of Water Smart Burnside. Swales are constructed by forming a channel or depression into the landscape. Swales are typically wide and shallow. They slow water flows, collect water and allow it to infiltrate into the soil.

Swales are used in several ways around Burnside:

• On Council verges, swales are used to reduce the risk of water from the road flowing onto properties lower than the road. A good example is the swale on the western side of  Pembroke Street  in Kensington Park.
• In car parks, to collect rainfall locally and reduce pooling during heavy rain. Good examples are the swales in the car park at the  Burnside Civic Centre . 
• In wide median strips to support vegetation. A good example is the swale along the centre of  Linden Avenue  in Hazelwood Park.

Rain gardens are vegetated areas used to collect water. Rain gardens can include groundcover plants, shrubs or trees, depending on how much space is available. When it rains, water collects in rain gardens and can infiltrate into the soil. There is a rain garden on  Raymond Walk  in Toorak Gardens. When it rains, this rain garden collects water runoff from the road, reducing the chance of water ponding on the road and supplying water to the vegetation.

Soakage pits allow water to infiltrate into the soil. Soakage pits are not vegetated themselves, but they can be installed around trees to facilitate watering, such as the soakage pits in  Kensington Park. 

Water tanks store water that is collected on nearby roofs. Council administration buildings have water tanks installed, many of them feeding water into the buildings’ toilets, to ensure the water is used. Many toilet buildings in council reserves also have rainwater tanks for the same purpose. Good examples are the rainwater tanks in  Holmes Reserve , Rosslyn Park.

Wetlands and detention basins are important features of Water Smart Burnside, cleaning water and creating habitat for people, plants and wildlife.

The wetland at  Kensington Gardens Reserve/Kensington Wama  has been designed to hold water all year and provide many benefits. The wetland enhances the recreation reserve, providing great aesthetic appeal. Paths and seating around and through the wetland enable the community to enjoy the wetland and its surrounds. The wetland provides habitat for plants within and around the water. The water and plants provide valuable habitat for water birds, frogs, fishes, waterbugs and many other local species. Further, the wetland is designed to clean water. Constructed wetlands include areas for sediments to settle, plants to absorb nutrients, and open water where sunlight can help to disinfect the water. Find out more about the Kensington Gardens Reserve Project that included the development of the wetland on the  engage.burnside  website.

Detention basins are constructed to slow water flowing along creeklines and reduce the risk of flooding downstream. The basins may only fill with water when there has been heavy rainfall. Once they have filled, the basins will slowly release water into the surrounding soil or back into the watercourse. Detention basins may include vegetation that is suited to occasional inundation.

Water Smart Burnside includes several other measures that help clean water, reduce erosion and slow water flows.

Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs) are devices that are installed along stormwater systems to collect large pollutants, like litter. The traps require regular maintenance to remove the pollutants that have been captured. Gross Pollutant Traps are often installed underground where they cannot be seen.

Additional measures are utilised along watercourses to slow water flows, protect watercourses from erosion and remove debris and other pollution, including:

• Trash Racks: like Gross Pollutant Traps, trash racks are designed to remove litter from waterways. Large baskets collect debris and are emptied regularly to remove the litter from the watercourse.
• Lined Watercourses: some watercourses are lined to protect them from erosion.
• Rock Ramps: stabilise the beds of watercourses.
• Weirs: slow water flows and allow sediment to settle.
• Silt Traps: remove silt from water.