Go-ahead for stage 3 of automatic reticulation program for schools announced

10/9/99
Education Minister Colin Barnett today announced the go-ahead for stage three of a program to convert up to 150 primary and secondary schools to automatic irrigation.
Mr Barnett said the State Government would spend $3.4 million converting 31 Western Australian schools to automatic irrigation this financial year.
The change to automatic watering would save water and encourage students and staff to see the advantages of conservation.
"Above ground pipe systems can be operated only during daylight hours and on weekdays," the Minister said.
"Replacing the manual watering systems with automatic systems will save WA's precious scheme water, provide a valuable lesson in caring for the environment and set an example for the community.
"Schools with the new irrigation will be able to conform to the permanent daytime sprinkler ban which calls for watering to be done outside the hours between 9am and 6pm.
"This is particularly important in the metropolitan area where dam levels are very low and in hot areas of the State where daytime use of sprinklers means the bulk of the water simply evaporates."
Where possible, schools will also use recycled water.
Mr Barnett said other advantages of the department's $10 million program included better allocation of gardening time and reduced lost time resulting from injuries caused by moving surface pipes.
The new systems will be connected to the department's security monitoring system so that plant failures could be remotely detected and prompt remedial action initiated.
The average cost of installing automatic irrigation systems is expected to be about $70,000 for each primary school and $140,000 for each high school.
Schools to receive automatic irrigation this year are the Allenswood, Baldivis, Balga, Booragoon, Broome, Bull Creek, Chidlow, Clifton Hills, Collier, Como, Davallia, East Hamersley, Girrawheen, Gosnells, Guildford, Hillcrest, Kalbarri, Montrose, North Balga, North Beach, Pickering Brook, South Perth, Swan View, Upper Swan, Vasse, Warriapendi, Weld Square, Willagee and Yalgoo primary schools, the Spearwood Alternative School and the Wickham District High School.
Preliminary investigative work will begin immediately with the system to be installed by the end of next year.
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