New developments save precious water resources

The State Government has announced a new water-pricing model to be introduced on July 1, 2018 that will aim to charge higher water prices for those households that they label ‘water guzzlers’.

Under the new model, a planned increase to the fixed service charge will be reduced and those households in Perth that use more than 500 kilolitres of water per year will receive an average water bill increase of around 16 per cent.

In country areas the model will target those that use more than 300 kilolitres a year with a 10 per cent increase.

In announcing the new model, Minister for Water the Hon. Dave Kelly pinpointed some of the suburbs that are WA’s main water guzzlers.

He said the western suburbs were home to many of Perth’s biggest household water consumers.

According to the government, the highest water consumers make up less than seven per cent of Perth households but use a significant 17 per cent of Perth’s residential water.

Not surprisingly, many of the highest water usage households are located in established suburbs where water saving was not a priority when those areas were designed and built.

This is as opposed to new land developments that are raising the bar significantly when it comes to saving our precious water supplies.

According to the Water Corporation’s water-use calculator, newer areas such as Alkimos, Eglinton and Forrestfield all recorded water consumption levels below the Perth average in 2016-17.

That is because overall, newer areas have smaller lot sizes with less lawn areas and primarily include drought-resistant or native planting both in private and public spaces.

The majority of developers also implement water-sensitive urban design principles into their planning and development, which maximises opportunities to reuse storm water and recharge groundwater.

This means households and public open spaces use less water, which has a significant impact on our water supplies.

UDIA is providing leadership in ensuring our water supplies are sustainable by encouraging developers to certify their projects under our EnviroDevelopment program.

EnviroDevelopment requires projects to meet extremely high standards in order to receive accreditation under the water element of the program.

Projects receiving certification must implement measures which reduce potable water use across the project beyond regulatory requirements, including promoting the use of alternative water sources, water-efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings and water-efficient landscaping in private outdoor spaces and common areas.

Overall, it is encouraging to see new development is leading the way in saving water for future generations.

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