Managing Water Supplies for Greenfield Music Festivals.

Where a music festival is located on a remote greenfield site, the availability of water can be challenging. In rare cases it may be possible to hook up to a local mains supply, but this presents logistical issues. Most of these greenfield festivals rely on water being transported on site with tankers. How do organisers manage the supply of fresh water for their events.

With some festivals attracting tens of thousands of festival-goers the demand for water can be very high, making the supply and distribution logistics a critical element of event planning. Aside from fresh clean drinking water there is also demand for bathroom and cleaning facilities as well as food and beverage vendors who often need access to clean water for cooking and washing. The appropriate planning and operational management of water supplies should deliver sufficient volumes of safe clean water as well as minimising any environmental impact from any wastewater generated.

Water Supply Planning and Sources.
A typical multi-day music festival with camping facilities will require between 10 and 15 litres per person, although in some circumstances this quantity may increase to 20 litres. This allows for drinking water and supplies for bathroom and cleaning facilities; the exact volume can change depending on environmental factors like extreme heat, for example. Connection to mains supplies is a preferred option but may require significant infrastructure construction to route the nearest supply to the site. In addition, water supply companies need to grant permission, and water pressure issues are common when using mains supplies. More common are the use of contracted tankers who transport water onto the site where it is transferred to main storage tanks connected to pumps to maintain pressure. In some instances, a remote site may have access to local wells or bore holes, but the quality can be variable with frequent bacteriological testing required to maintain safety.

Fresh Drinking Water.
Festival organisers always make fresh clean drinking water available for festival-goers usually using refill stations (hydration stations) throughout a site. These are placed in convenient locations so that festival-goers should never have to walk for more than 1 minute to get to them. These hydration stations maximise hygiene by using sensor or foot pumps to activate taps which reduces cross contamination. Site signage and app maps clearly indicate the location of every hydration station and festival-goers are encouraged to use their own reusable water containers or bottles eliminating the need for single use plastic bottles.

Waste Management.
To minimise any adverse impact on a festival site and the environment organisers should plan carefully how they manage all wastewater generated during the event. Appropriate contractors with specialist equipment and tankers handle the different grades of wastewater. Blackwater, the most contaminated usually from human waste, needs to be collected and processed as sewage at licensed treatment plants. Greywater is slightly contaminated and usually collected from washing facilities and once collected can be processed using filters for reuse in flushing toilets, for example. The key to managing water supplies entering a site, being used and disposed of, is the prevention of any spillage on the site.

Sustainability.
This is a high priority for all music festival organisers with the most significant change in recent years being the outright ban on all single use plastic water bottles. Organisers provide fresh clean drinking water at hydration stations, and festival-goers are informed prior to the event to bring their own reusable water bottles. Water delivery and flow technology is also helping to reduce wastage with the use of low flow systems and taps that have an auto stop feature preventing users from leaving water supplies running continuously. Reusing greywater for toilet flushing or dust suppression can minimise the volume of wastewater that needs to be processed off site. Dry composting toilets are now more common and form a key part of sustainability for the organisers as no flushing water is required.

For festival organisers planning their next event using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by drfuenteshernandez via Pixabay

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