Grants for smart water use
Up to $1 million is being offered for grants that will help manage water more sustainably in Adelaide.
The Water Sustainability Grants 2019-20 are for on-ground, planning and design projects in a range of settings.
Funded by the NRM levy through the AMLR Natural Resources Management Board, the grants are open to local governments and other organisations with the capacity to deliver projects with multiple benefits to the community.
The Board’s Presiding member Felicity-ann Lewis said the projects must achieve better management of water-related impacts on land, watercourses and costal and marine environments.
“In addition to making our city greener, the grants help councils and other organisations make spaces cooler and more resilient to climate change,” she said.
“Some of the strategies used to better manage urban water include water sensitive urban design, stormwater management plans, rain gardens, green roofs, permeable footpaths and planted verges.
“These grants encourage continuing efforts to make the most of stormwater as a valuable resource and to use it to improve the urban environment.”
The grants cover both funding and technical support to organisations.
Among the 16 projects funded in the 2018-19 grants round were the creation of rain gardens and smart water storage solutions.
The City of Onkaparinga used a $120,000 grant to construct extensive rain gardens with stormwater detention basins at the John Nicholl Reserve at Aldinga Beach. They are designed to resolve flooding issues and improve water quality by directing stormwater from the surrounding area into the rain gardens.
Other grants supported research and design of an innovative water storage and reuse project by the City of Unley, water sensitive urban design and rain gardens for the new Kapunda town square and water sensitive urban design for the Railway Terrace precinct by the City of Victor Harbor.
“This year’s grants build on the success of previous rounds, as well as the investment of the NRM levy over the past decade in better water management,” Dr Lewis said.
Applications close at 9am on 22 July. More information is available here.
