Heat Mitigation

It was only 2 years ago, on January 16th that Adelaide had the dubious honour of being the hottest city in the world for that day.

Heat Mitigation, it’s not only Adelaide that is experiencing increased temperatures, all Australian capital cities plus rural Australia is also faced with rising temperatures that are impacting on so many facets of daily life and business.

With cities packed with concrete, asphalt, glass and traffic, cities in particular, are islands where heat is increasingly absorbed and radiated. A pretty grim picture, thankfully there are green designs and solutions available that are working.

SA Water have been active in collaborative projects in helping to reduce the impact of suburban heat sinks. Greg Ingleton, Manager of Environmental Opportunities at SA Water has been responsible for a special project looking to reduce Adelaide CBD temperatures through a greener parkland.

Utilizing Glenelg to Adelaide Parklands (GAP) recycled water to irrigate the south western section of the parklands, the prevailing winds are carrying cool air generated by the lush grass and established trees into the CBD. It is estimated that a temperature reduction of between 4 & 6 degrees could be achieved, lessening the use of air-conditioners and further reducing power bills.

Working with the Adelaide City Council, SA Water is planning a series of green corridors – featuring trees to assist the flow of cooler air to penetrate deeper into the city.

The same principals also work with a current project at the Adelaide Airport. One benefit from producing cooler air from the selected irrigated space is that planes need less fuel to take off.

We can all play a role in cooling our environment and the best part about it, it’s not hard. Simple green solutions provide the answer, just look at the results SA Water are getting from this Heat Mitigation project. If you’d like any more information on this project plus loads more smart water saving solutions, and I know you do, just head to the SA Water website.