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Ponds flow once more

30 April 2008

The Monash Medical Centre donated enough water to fill the Forum Ponds and a pool at the Clayton campus.

The Forum Ponds next to the Menzies building at the Clayton campus are flowing once more thanks to a novel drought-breaking move by the Facilities and Services Division.

The Division was the first to step in when the Monash Medical Centre announced it was unable to use the water in one of its holding tanks and was willing to make a donation of the now precious commodity.

Facilities and Services hired a tanker to cart the water from the nearby hospital to the Forum ponds.

It wasn't only the ponds that benefited. There was enough water left over to top up the swimming pool at the former Vice-Chancellor's house which is now used as staff offices.

Grounds Manager Johan de Bree who helped organise the water transfer said: "The ponds have been in a very sorry state because of the drought so this was a fantastic opportunity to recycle some water and fill them up again."

Medical Centre spokesperson Elizabeth Katschura said it was the first time the Centre had made a donation of water.

"We decided to give the water away after a test showed that the water's bacterial count was slightly too high," Ms Katschura said.

"To return the water to its normal level we could have treated it with chlorine.

"However, as much of this water is used for drinking we decided against it because people would have been able to taste the chlorine."

Ms Katschura said the Centre hadn't made donations of water before as the need hadn't presented itself.

"However, we would donate again if need be," Ms Katschura said. "It is absolutely in line with the green policy."