Christison Park irrigation project in progress

In 2006, initial investigations commenced into a replacement irrigation system that would be the most water efficient solution available. Council determined that it needed a solution that would:

• reduce the demand for town water
• tap into alternative water sources
• improve turf quality

Developed through years of research with leading Australian Universities and the CSIRO, the KISSS system implemented is the only irrigation system designed specifically for use underground.
KISSS delivers water directly to the roots minimizing losses due to wind drift, evaporation, surface runoff and drainage. These features improve water use efficiency and make the system ideal where the water supply is limited or expensive.

The irrigation system was installed in under six weeks and was ready to use immediately after the installation. KISSS is installed with a specialized plough that causes so little disturbance to the surface that the field can be used within a few days after the installation. In the case of Christison Park, the fields were used almost immediately after installation.

Since the completion of the installation in December 2008, and the handover of the monitoring in March 2009, tremendous benefits have been achieved, most notably the reduction in use of town water, from the previous irrigation system.

KISSS has reduced water bills and increased the ability to use storm water simply and safely. Woollahra Council is storing what water they can capture with the original storagetanks. Christison Park is capturing an average of 70,000L/month of storm water.

The installation of additional tanks are proposed to further decrease the reliance on town water and forms the next phase of this project.