The grass is GreenSmart at Harrington Waters

The establishment of a new environmental concept shows that the grass really is ‘greener’ at Harrington Waters Private Estate. In attaining `GreenSmart®’ accreditation from the Housing Industry Association, Harrington Waters is proving that you don’t have to be a green thumb in order to have a beautiful garden.

Harrington Waters is proud to be the first estate in Australia to offer `WaterSmart’ soil moisture sensing irrigation controllers as part of every landscaping bonus. The WaterSmart Controller is an intelligent system that automatically senses the soil moisture content and only permits watering if there is insufficient moisture in the soil. Additional benefits to homeowners include a cost saving on their water bill.

Independent trials of the WaterSmart system at the University of Western Australia have shown reductions in water usage and the elimination of unnecessary watering in garden areas by up to 60% above the guidelines set by the Water Corporation.

The TurfSmart ™ turf management systems incorporated into the parklands are an approach to turf production and management that promotes optimal growth and stress resistance by creating favourable root and soil conditions. Natural soil ecosystems typically contain plentiful beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi that work in partnership with plant roots to ensure healthy retained growth. Harrington Waters Private Estate is working in partnership with Optima Agriculture, a leading local Agricultural research facility in pioneering this environmentally superior method.

The process not only provides a significant decrease of *50% on watering demands but also lowers the necessity for chemical fertilisers. Once the turf is laid, post lay treatments are applied followed by an ongoing simple maintenance regime. As the turf establishes itself, the watering demands will reduce notably (due to increasing organic carbon, humus and therefore water retaining capacities). TurfSmart ™ emphasises prevention over cure as well as cooperation with natural growth processes over synthetic chemical treatment. The result is a more sustainable, environmentally compatible turf management program.

Additional measures undertaken include the recycled use of the original mulch created on site and the relocation of the native grass trees to the public domain. The Harrington Waters lake was originally a natural water sump and has now been transformed into a 1.9 hectare lake that functions as a storm water management basin, not only for renewing storm water for the immediate area, but also for the surrounding suburbs.

Harrington Waters Private Estate actively pursues environmentally friendly ways to protect Western Australia’s resources and set new benchmarks for future developments within the housing industry.

^{*Water Savings estimated based on Year 3 (post lay of turf)}