Establishment of recycled water supply for irrigation of Kerr Community Gardens

The Kerr Sustainability Centre community gardens are hosted on Charles Sturt’s Albury-Wodonga campus. The flourishing community hub involves more than 200 regular gardeners, including many recent immigrants to Australia from countries such as Bhutan and Nepal.

The Kerr community gardens play an important role in providing members and the wider community with a safe place to build relationships with like-minded people – from their own and other cultures – as well as alleviating the costs of living through the provision of self-grown and exchanged food produce. The Kerr community gardens have developed into a site and stimulus for learning for Charles Sturt and wider community, with high level engagement from staff and students.

In 2021, the Kerr community gardens received a boost through the award of an internal Charles Sturt Sustainability Grant that has funded the establishment of an alternative water supply piped from our Albury-Wodonga campus’ water harvesting and recycling system. The new water supply replaces an aged and failing potable water supply that previously serviced the gardens at a high cost, using drinking-quality water. Access to harvested and recycled water has allowed for irrigation of more than 300 garden beds spread over two hectares.