Sunshine Coast, QLD -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/04/2012 -- Recent proposals for replacing the natural grass at Racing NSW's tracks could lead to significant cost savings in the long run and has the full support of synthetic grass Sunshine Coast Company, Andyman Synthetic Turf.

The wettest summer on record for New South Wales has led to many problems around the region, including many flood warnings issued in Sydney and other coastal areas. The flooding issues have also impacted Racing NSW, with many races being postponed or canceled. The postponements come at a time when the horseracing organization has been struggling with keeping pace with public demand and rival organizations in other states and territories. In order to keep up, the organization has devoted much of its resources into prize money.

"That’s come at a cost where our infrastructure now needs rebuilding, especially the stage which is the racecourse and the training facilities," Racing NSW CEO Peter V'landys recently said in an interview with the Illawarra Mercury newspaper.

These facts alone have led to several proposals for replacing the natural grass tracks with synthetic turf or blends, with the Illawarra Turf Club quickly expressing its support for the plan.

"Artificial grass has many features that could help the organization see significant cost savings," says Andyman Synthetic Turf Managing Director Andrew Sullivan. "Some may be skeptical of what the results could be, though our clients have all found that making the switch has brought superior lifestyle and budget improvements."

Among the concerns at Racing NSW tracks have been water drainage issues, which have been at the heart of many race closures. With professional layout and planning, that could be significantly improved upon by using synthetic grass Sunshine Coast resident Sullivan says. This alone could save the organization millions by not having to cancel races. In addition to better drainage, fake grass brings about many more advantages:

Natural grass requires lots of water to remain alive. The figures vary based on the humidity, heat and amount of sunlight a location receives. However, on average, a square foot of lawn requires roughly half a kilolitre of water annually. This amounts to more than 55,000 kilolitres of water per hectare. According to the Australian Water Association, Australians pay an average of $1 per kilolitre of mains water, which amounts to more than $55,000 per hectare of natural grass. With most tracks covering dozens of hectares with grass, the money saved could be in excess of $1 million per year.

By the same token, the amount of water saved would be in excess of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of kilolitres annually, per track. While in wet regions of the country that may not seem like a priority, other, drought-stricken areas of Australia would do well to have access to that water.

"We live in a community that's greater than just our local neighborhood," Sullivan said. "As a nation, we have a responsibility to our progeny to be caretakers of this land and its resources. Water is one such resource. Since we have the tools to help conserve both water and financial resources, it goes without saying we have a responsibility to use those tools. Racing NSW should look at the options before it and seriously consider the same synthetic turf Sunshine Coast residents have made use of for years."

Andyman Synthetic Turf serves the Sunshine Coast region and provides superb synthetic grass Sunshine Coast residents can be proud of. As the premier supplier of artificial grass Sunshine Coast, the company provides a wide selection of fake grass perfect for residential lawns, sports turf, golf grass, lawn bowling greens, tennis courts and more.

For more information, visit http://www.fakegrasssunshinecoast.com.au/ or call 1300 88 11 69.