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.