Large water users in the Barwon region have already saved over 40 million litres of water over the past year and will save even more water and reduce their bills thanks to support from the Allan Labor Government.
Minister for Water Harriet Shing today announced $610,000 for Barwon Water through the second round of the WaterSmart program, which has been successfully in saving millions of litres of water the region since 2023.
The WaterSmart program assists large non-residential water users, such as councils, hospitals and aged-care facilities to reduce the amount of water they use through water data monitoring and audits.
Data collected is already helping non-residential customers across the Barwon region to better understand their water use, identify leaks or other forms of water waste, and improve water efficiency.
The initiative will be expanded to include water audits of community sporting grounds to identify opportunities to use water more efficiently.
Surf Coast Shire Council is among the participating councils that have benefited from the early detection of a leak at one of its community facilities.
About 390,000 litres of water at Bellbrae Reserve was saved - more than an Olympic-sized swimming pool and equal to about $1000 off the council's water bill - through the data-led intervention.
Barwon Water will use the smart data and water audits to identify and recommendations that can lead to savings, including identifying opportunities to use high-quality recycled water instead of drinking water where possible.
For more information on the WaterSmart program visit, water.vic.gov.au/our-programs.
As stated by Minister for Water Harriet Shing
"We are investing in innovative ways to help the community use our precious water more efficiently and save money on their bills."
As stated by Member for Western Victoria Gayle Tierney
"The WaterSmart program is saving millions of litres of valuable water across the region and cutting the bills of many water intensive users"
As stated by Member for Geelong Christine Couzens
"The program is leading to significant savings and changing the ways we use water, with more than 40 million litres of water saved in the Barwon Water region last year due to data collected from the tracking and audits."
As stated by Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant
"The data logging technology and audits help the region's largest water users identify any leaks or inefficiencies so they can be fixed quickly and conserve water."
