Irrigating airport land for heat reduction benefits.

SA Water and Adelaide Airport have been running a trial using stormwater to irrigate a 4ha site within the airport land to understand the potential benefits that maintaining appropriate vegetative cover and reducing surface and air temperatures can provide airport operations. The trial has been running since 2015 and the data collected to date has demonstrated that irrigation can lead to an air temperature reduction of over 3oC on hot days when compared with unirrigated areas. The CRC for Water Sensitive Cities (CRCWSC) is currently working with SA Water and the Adelaide Airport to add to and strengthen this research using additional sophisticated monitoring equipment and modelling.