Goldfields residents can take advantage of three water-saving offers as part of Water Corporation's 2021-22 Waterwise Towns program, launched during National Water Week.
The Showerhead Swap program, available for the past two years in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is being extended to Coolgardie and Kambalda residents, allowing them to swap up to two old, inefficient showerheads for waterwise alternatives.
Free irrigation and plumbing services are also being offered to residents in Kalgoorlie-Boulder to support water efficiency in the home and garden. This includes a leak inspection and minor repairs, help to program irrigation controllers, and an upgrade to water-efficient fittings if required. Free plumbing services are also being offered to residents in Leonora.
Thousands of households in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Coolgardie and Kambalda will also receive comparative water use letters to show how their water use compares to others, with tips and advice to help them reduce their water use.
Monitoring and evaluation of a water-efficient evaporative air-conditioning trial which commenced in 2020 will continue this summer, with 90 Kalgoorlie-Boulder households participating.
The insights gathered through the trial will help determine the most effective way to reduce water loss while systems are in use. The trial is expected to finish in March 2022, with preliminary results indicating water use can be reduced by 20 per cent while still effectively cooling homes.
Since 2013-14, the Waterwise Towns program has saved approximately 1.58 billion litres of precious water across regional Western Australian communities - equivalent to 702 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Local offers are available from October 4, 2021 to May 31, 2022.
The waterwise offers available to each town differs, so residents are invited to visit http://www.watercorporation.com.au/waterwiseoffers for more information.
As stated by Water Minister Dave Kelly:
"The Waterwise Towns program is an incredibly effective way the McGowan Government is supporting regional Western Australians to help conserve our most precious resource.
"Evaporative air-conditioning is common in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, but these systems can use more than 100 litres of water per hour while in use during summer.
"By participating in this trial, Kalgoorlie-Boulder residents are testing improvements that can be made to their air-conditioning systems, to ensure they are working as efficiently as possible and only using as much water as they need to.
"Providing easy, practical and cost-effective solutions to reducing household water use has already proven to be a successful approach - one I hope communities will embrace again, particularly during National Water Week."
As stated by Kalgoorlie MLA Ali Kent:
"As we head into the hot summer months here in the Goldfields, it is important that we are doing the best we can to control our water usage.
"It is important that we stay cool and with most households having evaporative air-conditioning, I am glad that Kalgoorlie-Boulder can take part in the trial to improve the efficiency of their air-conditioning.
"I strongly encourage the community to take advantage of the Waterwise Towns program in their area."
Goldfields and Agricultural Region participants in the 2021-22 Waterwise Towns program:
| Town | Offers |
| Kalgoorlie-Boulder | Showerhead Swap, water-efficient evaporative air-conditioning trial, plumbing service, irrigation service, comparative water use letters |
| Kambalda | Showerhead Swap, comparative water use letters |
| Coolgardie | Showerhead Swap, comparative water use letters |
| Leonora | Plumbing service |
