Magazine - Geelong Racing Club Irrigation Upgrade

By Press Release in Racing / Equestrian on 3rd Jul 2010 10:00

Geelong Racing Club will receive a new irrigation system worth $450,000 as part of the Brumby Labor Government’s commitment to regional racing, Deputy Premier and Minister for Racing Rob Hulls announced on Tuesday, 29 June.

At the Geelong racecourse, Mr Hulls said the upgrade of the turf track irrigation system, which will replace the existing towline irrigation system with an automated sprinkler, would provide significant water savings.

“The system has been designed to produce consistent watering across the width of the course proper and has the capacity to apply appropriate levels of water during the evening when evaporation levels are low,” he said.

“This will also complement the recently opened $380,000 stormwater harvesting project, which taps into an unused water source and will supply more than enough water for irrigation purposes.

“Not only do these two projects ease demand on the community's water supply, but they also provide the largest regional centre in Victoria with an effectively drought-proofed racecourse.”

Mr Hulls said the Geelong Racing Club was an integral part of the local community and continued to go from strength to strength, producing around 1600 starters each year.

“Racing has always played an important role within Geelong's social and economic fabric and the Geelong Racing Club is one of the busiest tracks on the provincial racing circuit,” Mr Hulls said.

“Through the use of the turf track and the new synthetic track, Geelong is scheduled to conduct 37 meetings in the 2010-11 racing season and this will increase to 42 meetings in the following year.”

The irrigation system upgrade is funded through the $86 million Regional Racing Infrastructure Fund (RRIF), which is the largest ever industry and Government funding contribution to racing.

Mr Hulls said the total cost of the irrigation upgrade was $450,000 with the Brumby Labor Government contributing $405,000 and Racing Victoria Ltd (RVL) and Country Racing Victoria (CRV) jointly contributing the remaining $45,000. The project is expected to be completed by October this year.

RVL Chief Strategy Officer Paul Bittar said the upgrade of the irrigation system would ensure watering of the Geelong turf track became more even and reliable.

“This is critical for producing an optimum racing surface with sufficient cushion, while limiting the potential for bias,” Mr Bittar said.

“Coupled with the recently completed stormwater harvesting project, this upgrade will ensure that Geelong is an industry leader in the efficient and effective use of its water resources.”

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