Melbourne water utilities South East Water, Greater Western Water, Melbourne Water and Yarra Valley Water have joined forces to launch Make Every Drop Count – a water conservation campaign aiming to encourage Melburnians to save water and avoid future shortages.
The campaign engages the community and water conservation experts to share mindful water saving hacks.
It will help Melburnians take small, but collectively high-impact, steps to reduce their average daily individual water usage from 159L to 155L a day, in line with the Victorian Government’s Target 155 water conservation program.
The joint initiative also responds to Melbourne residents’ water saving concerns.
A recent survey, Saving Water in Melbourne (SWiM) conducted by Melbourne’s water corporations, found:
- Melburnians think water conservation is very or extremely important (80 per cent), yet almost a third admit they don’t think they are doing enough to save water (29 per cent)
- Common methods used by Melburnians to save water include limiting shower time (38 per cent), installing a water-saving shower head (57 per cent), and always turning off the tap while shaving or brushing their teeth (63 per cent)
- Most Melburnians admit they don’t know the recommended amount of water usage per person per day (61 per cent) or their actual usage per day (62 per cent)
Speaking on behalf of Melbourne’s water corporations, Yarra Valley Water Managing Director, Pat McCafferty, said, “We know Melburnians want to conserve water for future generations and will no doubt rise to the four-litre daily saving challenge.
“We can’t wait to see the creative mindful water-usage tips shared that will collectively make a huge difference.”
With the city’s population forecast to almost double by 2051 and the changing environment affecting water storages over the next 30 years, the 155L target is just one of many actions to help secure Melbourne’s water supplies for the future.
Parliamentary Secretary for Water, Harriet Shing, has commended the four water corporations’ efforts to help Victoria become a leader in water conservation.
“Thanks to the contribution of the Victorian Desalination Plant, and recent wetter than average rainfall, our water storages are currently healthy, but we know we have to do more into the future, including saving water where we can,” Ms Shing said.
“Target 155 and Make Every Drop Count provide an opportunity to reflect on the small changes we can all make to help save water for years to come.
“As Melbourne grows and we face the challenge of a drier climate, we need to help protect our precious water supplies so we can continue to supply critical needs during dry periods and ensure we have enough water for agriculture, cultural values and green open spaces.”
Melburnians are invited to share their water-saving tips on social media using the hashtag #MakeEveryDropCount or submit tips directly through the Make Every Drop Count website.
Everyone who submits a tip has the chance to win weekly prizes and a grand prize valued at $2,000.
