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Australian city to tap geothermal aquifer to heat aquatic center project

Australian city to tap geothermal aquifer to heat aquatic center project Planned Gippsland Aquatic Center, Labrobe, Victoria, Australia (source: Peddle Thorp Architects)
Alexander Richter 19 Jul 2019

Australian city working on new aquatic center to be heated by geothermal energy derived from a depth of 650m with temperatures of around 65 centigrades.

Australian hydrogeological and environmental consulting firm Rockwater recently reported on a geothermal project in the State of Victoria, Australia.

The local city council in Latrobe has been planning to tap into geothermal energy for a new regional aquatic center.  As a community pool, it will “also include: indoor water play zone; warm water therapy pool with spa; designated learn to swim pool; sauna and steam rooms; wellness centre; café and retail precinct; gymnasium and group fitness rooms; wet and dry change facilities; 25 metre outdoor pool; and two large water slides” so Design Director Peter Brook of Peddle Thorp.

Rockwater won a tender for geothermal hydrogeology consultancy. The project – so Rockwater – “is scheduled to commence drilling in the coming months. The city council is developing a geothermal water supply to heat the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre (GRAC) and Latrobe Creative Arts Precinct (LCAP) in Traralgon. The Latrobe Valley aquifers are ideal for direct use geothermal heating. The aquifers have abundant heat with geothermal gradients up to 7.3 deg C/100 m, due to the presence of the insulating Latrobe Valley Coal Measures. The geothermal production bore will produce about 65 deg C water from about 650 m depth.”

Source: Rockwater,