The stormwater harvesting system at the Gardens was commissioned as part of a Working Wetlands project in 2012. In recent years and during warmer weather, the water treatment and recycling plant did not operate at full capacity due to a number of water quality issues within Ornamental Lake.
In March 2020 Royal Botanical Gardens Victoria engaged IV Water to provide expert advice on the most cost-effective solutions to optimise management of the existing system.
A number of solutions to mitigate the risks and enhance the performance of the existing stormwater treatment system have been developed, priced and documented.
Royal Botanical Gardens Victoria has been finalising a business case for an alternative irrigation water supply and was keen to investigate potential solutions to overcome the capacity restriction on the existing stormwater treatment system to ensure that the full potential of the additional treated water supply could be realised.