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Water is an essential part of our daily lives. We use it for drinking, washing, cooking and cleaning, to flush waste from toilets, and for the garden.
We also waste it. Excessive or unnecessary water use and leaking taps are major problems in the home and place huge pressure on Australia’s already stressed water supply networks.
One of the biggest stresses on our water supply system, leaks due to poor pipeline maintenance which cause the loss of millions of litres of water annually, is beyond the control of householders.
There are, however, many things we can do around the home and in the garden to conserve water and eliminate waste.
Adopting water saving practices helps the environment. It reduces the amount of water taken from storage areas and the amount of waste water that has to be treated. It also delays the need for new infrastructure, particularly dams which can have a devastating impact on the environment.
INSTALL AAA-rated showerheads – you can save around 10 litres of water a minute
INSTALL water saving devices like dual-flush toilets (which use 66% less water than old systems), tap aerators and other flow regulators in your taps and showerheads. Consult a plumber before purchasing a new toilet cistern, as some single flush pans will not work properly with a dual flush.
USE the half flush when appropriate.
PUT a water displacement device such as a water-filled plastic bottle in the cistern if you have an older model. Older style, single flush toilets can use up to 12 litres of water per flush.
FIX the toilet if it’s leaking. A leaking cistern can waste 16,000 litres of water in a year. To test for leaks put a couple of drops of food colouring or dye into the cistern. If colour appears in the bowl after 15 minutes without the toilet being flushed, a leak needs fixing.
TAKE shorter showers. A three-minute shower should be long enough for anyone to get clean.
HAVE shower rather than a bath—you will use a lot less water.
PUT a bucket under the shower to collect the water while you are waiting for it to get hot. The water you collect can be used for watering pot plants.
CHOOSE appliances and white goods with a high water saving rating. Front loading washing machines use 60% less water and 30% less electricity than top loaders.
TURN OFF the tap while cleaning your teeth – you can save around five litres of water every time.
DON’T use running water to shave. A third of a basin of hot water should be sufficient for rinsing the razor.
KEEP PIPES and taps in good order – fix leaks and dripping taps promptly. Replace old or worn washers with ceramic seals.
DON’T over tighten taps when you turn them off. This can increase wear on the washer and cause leaks.
CHECK the water meter to see if there are leaks in your plumbing.
INSULATE hot water pipes to shorten the time you have to leave the tap running before you get hot water
OPERATE your washing machine and dishwasher only when you have a full load.
REUSE water from your bath, shower, and laundry to water your garden
WASH fruit and vegetables and rinse dishes in a plugged sink or bowl instead of under running water.
<back to topON AVERAGE, Australians use a quarter of their household water on the garden. Do you use water efficiently outside your home? Is there room for improvement?
WASH vehicles, outdoor furniture and the family pet on the grass – this will water your lawn and keep pollutants from waterways
ONLY water when the garden really needs it.
ADD MULCH to your garden and potted plants to reduce watering needs.
WATER the garden during the cooler parts of the day to avoid evaporation. There are voluntary restrictions in force in Byron Shire limiting garden watering with a hose to 6am to 10am and 3pm to 7pm. Watering in the early morning allows the sun to activate the water (by producing water vapour and stimulating micro-organism activity) to generate the food that plants will draw on during the day.
WATER the garden for longer, but less frequently. Letting the soil dry out between waterings encourages deeper root systems and helps plants to be less dependent on regular waterings.
WATER the roots not the leaves. Water on the leaves evaporates easily and can lead to scorching.
WATER the highest parts of the garden first so that run-off soaks into the lower, dry areas.
DON’T water in windy conditions as water is lost by evaporation and dispersion.
USE an organic liquid fertiliser. Dry fertilisers take water from the soil and can raise salt levels.
USE a hand held hose in preference to sprinklers. A forgotten sprinkler can waste 1000 litres of water in an hour. If you have a sprinkler, set a timer as a reminder to move it or turn it off.
FIXED irrigation systems that are poorly designed and maintained also use more water than a hand held hose.
AUTOMATIC fixed irrigation systems can be wasteful as they turn on regardless of the weather, or the spoil moisture content of the garden. A system that is not properly adjusted will deliver more water than the plants need.
USE a soil moisture sensor if you have a fixed irrigation system. This can be used to trigger a cut-off switch when it rains and adjust the duration of watering according to the level of moisture in the soil.
USE a trigger nozzle on your hose.
REVIEW and adjust watering systems regularly to suit the changes in season, plant demands, and water restrictions.
INSTALL a timer on your watering system and check regularly for leaks and faults.
DRIPPERS are the most efficient system as the deliver water to the roots of individual plants and minimise evaporation. Subterranean drippers can be used for lawns.
MINIMISE the amount of lawn area in your garden. Lawns use up to 90% of the water used in gardens. Use the area for more garden beds or replace the lawn with porous paving, pebbles, or drought-tolerant ground covers.
CHOOSE native plants and grasses that require less water than exotic species.
USE a broom—never a hose—to clear and clean hard surfaces. Cleaning of driveways, paths, paved areas, windows, external walls and other impervious surfaces with a hose is only allowed if necessary because of an accident, fire, hazard to health or the environment, or because of some other emergency.
High pressure water cleaners using less than 10 litres per minute may be used.
PREFERABLY use a car wash that recycles water and detergents. If you need to wash the car (or boat) at home, use a bucket rather than a hose and do it on the lawn to reuse the water. This also prevents the detergent flowing into the drain.
THERE are products available such as NoWet Car Clean, an environmentally friendly wax which enables you to clean a vehicle without using water.Swimming pools & spas
Swimming pools, spas and water features require significant amounts of water to maintain. Installing a rainwater tank (see below) to provide water for topping up the pool or spa, and recycling water through ponds and fountains, can greatly reduce the amount of water required.
Pool covers significantly reduce evaporative losses and can save between 11,000 and 30,000 litres of water a year.
Lower the pool level to reduce loss from splashing and overflow when the pool is being used.
Rainwater harvesting
Every time it rains, millions of litres of water go down the drain. If every home had a rainwater tank, or some other means of rainwater harvesting such as water-storing gutters, this water would be saved and could be put to use.
Rainwater tanks provide a secondary water supply that can be used for the garden, cleaning the car, toilet flushing, or in the laundry.
They also perform a valuable environmental benefit by reducing stormwater run-off during peak flows that might cause flooding, save energy (and therefore greenhouse gas emissions) that would otherwise be needed to pump water to your home, and help to alleviate the need for new dams to be built.
Sophisticated systems such as the BlueScope Water THINKTANK® can be integrated with the mains water supply to provide a reliable secondary source of water.
Water tanks come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. Consult a plumber or water tank supplier for an assessment of your needs.
It’s incongruous that we use precious fresh water for flushing away our bodily wastes, yet nearly 30% of the fresh water used in the average home goes down the toilet.
There are various types of composting toilets on the market which provide an environmentally friendly alternative to the conventional flush toilet.
A composting toilet requires no chemicals, uses no water, and can save your household up to 60,000 litres of water a year. They are odourless and totally hygienic.
As the name suggests, the waste provides a healthy compost for the garden. They use a system of organic decomposition to convert human waste into fertiliser.
Today's composting toilet systems are far removed from the old (and usually very smelly) outdoor dunny or pit latrine, and can be an elegant addition to a modern bathroom.
There are many reliable brands of these 'waterless loos' on the market. Check the Internet or the Yellow Pages to find your nearest supplier.
Grey water is the wastewater from our showers, baths, spas, hand basins, laundry tubs, washing machines, dishwashers and kitchen sinks.
It doesn't include water or waste from toilets.
Used appropriately, you can water your garden with grey water and save around 400 litres of fresh water a day.
Grey water can be diverted to your garden through direct diversion or a domestic grey water treatment system which can also be used for your toilet or washing machine.
Consult a plumber about installing a grey water recycling system for your home.
Gutters and drains take rainwater from our streets straight into rivers, lakes, harbours and oceans. When it rains, stormwater run-off can carry with it pollution from around our homes and streets into the waterways that are the habitat of plants and animals (and where we swim).
Preventing pollution reaching these waterways will keep them clean and healthy.
PICK UP your dog's droppings. If they wash into waterways they can increase bacteria levels and make them unsafe for swimming. Always carry a plastic bag with you when you walk the dog.
BIN your butts. Cigarette butts cause serious pollution and can kill marine life. Don't drop butts on the ground. Carry a pocket ash tray with you (you can get one from the Byron Environment Centre kiosk in Railway Park).
DON'T wash you car in the street. Detergents, mud, oil and grease can wash drectly into the stormwater system. Many detergents contain phosphates which over-fertilise waterways and lead to a build-up of toxic algae.
DONT let leaves go down the drain. Leaves, garden clippings and soil can all harm our waterways. Sweep up fallen leaves and use them for compost or garden mulch.
DON'T hose driveways.
BUILD barriers around garden beds to contain soil and fertilisers.
DON'T clean paint brushes into gutters or drains. Paint will poison aquatic life. If using a water based paint, clean the brushes over soil.
USE turps to clean brushes used for oil-based paint. Don't dispose of it into drains-reuse the turps once the paint has dried.
ALLOW unused paint to dry and dispose of the cans in the garbage.
Restrictions lifted as dam level rises
Byron Shire’s water is supplied from Rocky Creek Dam which has a storage capacity of 14,000 mega litres.
The dam level began dropping in September 2006 when it was around 95% full. Restrictions were imposed when it dropped below 60%.
Heavy rain in late December early January has now improved the dam level to more than 85%.
Water restrictions have been lifted.
Rebates & incentives
Rous Water, with the support of local councils in the region, offers a range of rebates and incentives to encourage householders to conserve water.
Rebates are available if you purchase a AAA rated front loading washing machine, a dual flush toilet, or a rainwater tank.
Rous Water also offers free water audits and financial assistance to approved non-residential water customers in the region.
Funding of up to 50% of the cost of water efficiency works is available to large water users such as commercial premises, accommodation and tourist facilities, industries, public buildings and schools.
Check with Rous Water or your local council to find out what assistance is available.