The Community
Environmental Management
It is a little known fact that the land on which Mona Vale Golf Club sits contains one of only six fresh water wetlands in the region . The Club itself was unaware of that until it was informed by the Greater Sydney Local Land Services , a state government organisation with responsibility for preserving important natural environments .
The wetlands consist of creeks and ponds fed by stormwater runoff from the 142-hectare catchment area that forms a bowl around the golf course . During an average year 800 megalitres of water enter the wetlands which then act as a filter removing sediment and gross pollution before the water enters the ocean at Mona Vale beach .
The golf Club takes its stewardship of these wetlands so seriously that this year it commissioned a study to guide its management of the areas with the objective of providing a suitable environment for local native fauna and flora , as well as continuing its vital role as the cleansing agent for stormwater . The subsequent report , The Environmental Management Plan ,
was prepared by Ecological Consultants Australia Pty Ltd , whose Principal is the renowned environmentalist , Ms Mia Dalby-Ball .
Rehabilitation work has already been performed on some of the wetlands with very pleasing outcomes . In one case the area is now a favoured nesting area for water fowl . As funds become available it is intended to follow the recommendations of the Environmental Management Plan with the view to rehabilitating the creek lines and ponds that comprise the wetlands .
Another little known fact is that the golf course is completely self-sufficient in respect to its water needs for irrigation of all the playing surfaces , the tees , greens and fairways . There was a time when the Club relied on Sydney Water for the supply of fresh water for parts of the course . Consistent with its culture of concern for the environment the Club undertook a major project in the last decade to harness the large-volume stormwater inflows . That took the form of wetland designs to slow the water flows so that sediment and items of gross pollution could be removed from the water streams which could then be directed to a large irrigation pond for further purification before use on the golf course or release to the ocean .
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