The “use and installation of turf as an erosion, nutrient and sediment control measure” has finally been drafted by the Australian Standard and is now out for public comment.
Substantial research and plenty of levy funded effort have gone into producing this draft and the closing date for public comments is 6 February 2017.
The draft Australian Standard is to be known as AS 5181:201X and it contains information on selection, site preparation, installation and maintenance of turf.
The purpose of this Australian Standard is to provide land owners, developers, project personnel and contractors with requirements on how to select, install and maintain turf in order to prevent or control erosion, nutrient loss and sedimentation.
With the end goal of minimising the negative impacts of land development works and change in land use on the surrounding and downstream environments.
The draft Australian Standard contains information on:
● Planning principles
● Turf selection
● Ordering turf supplies and site preparation
● Installation of turf
● Monitoring performance and maintenance of turf
● Contractual sign-offs
The draft Australian Standard also includes several appendices, including a detailed ‘Turf Selection Guide’. This guide provides a matrix of performance attributes of various turf species in relation to several different climate zones.
This draft from Australian Standard is a new and exciting opportunity to develop new markets for turf in Australia.
This draft, once finalised, could be used for a range of purposes as it indicates how favourable or tolerant particular turf species are in relation to 34 different characteristics.
