Water efficiency

Saving 24% of our water needs by 2015

Thanks to the water-saving efforts of homes and businesses in the Greater Sydney region, we are using the same amount of water now as in the early 1970s – even with an extra 1.3 million people.

We can't become complacent though. There are plenty of ways you can get involved in continuing to use water wisely.

We’ve already embraced a range of innovative programs to use water more efficiently in homes, businesses and public facilities.

New Water Wise Rules have been introduced to replace drought restrictions.
At least one in four homes has taken part in Sydney Water’s WaterFix program and are using water-efficient showerheads and other water-saving devices.
New homes are being designed to use 40% less water from Sydney’s central water supply.
Households have taken advantage of over 190,000 rebates for water-efficient washing machines and rainwater tanks, as well as 195,000 free Do-It-Yourself Water Saving Kits.
Business and government bodies are playing their part – almost 400 organisations have taken part in Sydney Water’s Every Drop Counts Business Program, with plans that will save 14.3 billion litres of water a year.
The NSW Climate Change Fund has allocated $10.5 million to making public facilities more water-efficient and $2.2 million to the Green Business Program which will save around 100 million litres a year.

Find out more about what's next and the plans to use water more efficiently in the 2008 Progress Report.

This page was last updated on 14 Sep 2009.