Help available to water sporting grounds

Melbourne’s water storages have dropped below 40 per cent and, with the prospect of a hot and dry summer, the whole community needs to save water.


There has been a 28% reduction in water use by industry in Melbourne and major projects have been completed or are underway to save farm irrigation water.


Under Stage 3 restrictions some grounds will be watered, but sports clubs and councils will have to save water along with the rest of the community and industry. This is because one sports ground uses about 5 million litres per year which is as much water as 25 houses would use, and there are thousands of sports grounds across Melbourne.

Watering of bowling greens, cricket pitches and golf tees and greens will still be allowed from 1 January. On top of this, councils and sporting clubs will be required to prioritise their sports grounds – they will nominate one in four that can be watered, provided that a total of 25% less mains water is used at the watered facility than was used last year.

I’ll be encouraging our local councils and sporting clubs to talk with their water retailer about sharing sports facilities and identifying priority grounds.

Our water authorities will work with sporting clubs and councils to find ways to continue sport using minimal amounts of water or alternative supplies.

Some Councils are also using alternative water supplies, including collected stormwater and recycled water, to irrigate their sporting ovals.

The Bracks Government has had funding programs in place for a number of years that can assist Councils and sporting clubs.
These funds include the Smart Water Fund, the Urban Stormwater and Conservation Fund, the Sustainability Fund and extra assistance for sports facilities in country towns as part of the Government’s Drought Response Program.