Yarra Oval Remediation
Yarra Oval is set to reopen on April 27th following an extensive remediation project, successfully completed with the co-ordination of Randwick City Council; Statewide Civil and M Collins and Sons (Contractors) Pty Limited.
Randwick City Council under the leadership of Project Manager George Bounassif, with a strong commitment to the local community, set about to establish a first class playing field which would meet the international standards for rugby league. In particular, the council sought to provide the local La Perouse Junior Football Club with an environmentally sustainable and economically viable playing field, for the benefit of the community at large. A training field for the junior rugby league club and two spectator hills were also to be included on the site.
Yarra Oval upon completion of major turfing works
The project undertaken by Statewide Civil saw the existing field as undersized, requiring extensive capital works – including 10,000 tonnes of cut and fill and the existing embankment being pushed forward to increase the size of the top field.
Construction began on the bottom field but was delayed upon the discovery of domestic waste being closer to the surface than anticipated. This necessitated testing on the top field which revealed similar amounts of contamination. At this stage, an executive decision was made to cap both fields with geosynthetic clay liners (GCL) in order to ensure the safety of the field’s users and also for the protection of the surrounding natural environment.
The next step involved the installation of an irrigation system that fulfilled the Council’s aim to recycle the majority of water caught on the field. This was achieved with the installation of plastic drainage cells to collect water run off into holding tanks, to be used to irrigate the field. This decision demonstrated Randwick City Council’s ongoing commitment to environmentally sound principles.
M Collins and Sons then installed a blanket layer of Collins Construction Sand in order to adequately stabilise the earlier installed irrigation system. A 250mm depth of Australian Standard 4419 accredited Virgin Excavated Natural Material (VENM) was then carefully installed on top of the Collins Construction Sand. The use of contaminant free VENM, processed by M Collins under strictly controlled protocols was especially beneficial for the Yarra Oval project, due to the material’s hydraulic and nutritious superiority and particle size consistency, allowing for optimal results as a growing medium. The use of a VENM certified growing medium was the critical decision to ensure the successful remediation of Yarra Oval would occur .
M Collins and Sons Transport Division was responsible for the coordination of all sand and soil deliveries to the site, completed throughout the project. With its modern fleet of trucks running over a period of 10 days, Collins was able to cart into the site, in excess of 7880 tonnes of VENM Accredited Collins Screened Soil and Collins Construction Sand.
M Collins and Sons, in collaboration with Randwick City Council, researched the receptive benefits of using different turf varieties on the project site. Collins Sportscouch was selected for the Yarra Oval site due to its vigorous establishment rate and excellent recuperative potential. M Collins and Sons Contracting Division completed the installation of the turf in five days, laying an average of 2300m2 of Collins Sportscouch per day. The use of Collins automated mechanical equipment contributed to the speed and precision with which the turf was laid on site.
Following completion of the major onsite turfing works, Collins was given the responsibility of developing an eight week maintenance program which would allow for the optimal establishment of the turf. Under the guidance of the experienced Collins project foreman David Pocock, the Collins Contracting Division maintained, topdressed and fertilized the site using Collins Australian Standard 4419 accredited 90/10 Sportsmix and fertilizer selected to suit the conditions.
Due to the diligence and commitment demonstrated by all parties involved with Yarra Oval, the site work has been completed and established on schedule, despite Sydney experiencing its wettest summer period for sixteen years and is set to flourish as a first class community sporting venue.
Yarra Oval bottom field post topdressing
The Collins Topdresser