Hong Kong Jockey Club water audit

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is the second-most important sponsor of public projects in the territory behind the Hong Kong Government. It is the sole provider of horse racing in Hong Kong and as a sustainability-focused enterprise needed to understand its water use and opportunities for improving water efficiency. We presented the preferred approach to address this objective.

To get behind the numbers, we arranged cross the board interviews from office based management to field base operations staff to draw out their observations, concerns and ideas.

The Jockey Club operates a range of facilities including two office buildings for administration, an 88,000 seat racecourse at Shatin and its older 55,000 capacity racecourse in Happy Valley, a multi-storey stable complex for over 1,250 horses, three clubhouses, three public riding schools and an equestrian centre.

Our services included:

In-depth analysis: Analysed water consumption records from over 68 meters and 22 sub-meters to confirm scale of use in stables and track;
Extensive sub-metering: Identified 27 sub-metering points at restaurants to characterise water use in race and non-racing seasons;
Getting behind the numbers: Arranged comprehensive cross the board interviews from office based management to field based operations staff to draw out their observations, concerns and ideas;
Intensive site audit: Successfully identified key water consumption patterns through intensive site audit across the eleven facilities.

Challenges

Historic water consumption data records were unclear, or not appropriate for audit purposes.
Water and wastewater systems were not clearly illustrated or articulated in plans, due to the age of the infrastructure.
Complex operational practices, such as racing/non-racing day and seasonal variations, create fluctuation in water use, adding to the complexity of a coherent water use model.

Solutions

While the numbers give information, interviews with staff gave an opportunity to confirm and clarify existing constraints on sub-meter installation location selections.

Conducting site audits accompanied by staff from different divisions allowed both client and consultant to understand the operational practices, and so build up estimates of the water consumption for different processes.

We identified sub-metering sites to monitor and understand water use at the different restaurant outlets. These range from full service Chinese and western style restaurants to the fast food outlets that accommodate the demands of the tens of thousands attending race days at the active track, or watching remotely on screens at the resting track.

Value and benefits

The outcomes from our work included:

Clear identification of water consumption patterns between race and non-race days and seasonal variation.
Identification of locations where water efficiency can be improved.
Identification of locations where water monitoring could offer benefit.
Recommendations to reduce overall water consumption.
Assessing compliance status of discharges with the existing permits.
Review potential of on-site water sources including reuse options.
Behaviour-orientated conservation measures.
Enhancement of staff awareness.