Eurobodalla Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy

Eurobodalla Integrated Water Cycle Management Strategy
reducing the pressure on drainage systems, with WSUD able to achieve a significant
reduction in the volume of pollutant loads entering the environment.
Thus to gain maximum benefit from this opportunity the Residential Design and
Development Guidelines DCP is extended to cover the following elements as a minimum:
AAA water efficient appliances including low flow shower heads, 6 L/3 L dual flush
toilets and aerated taps
Elements of water-sensitive urban design
Rainwater tanks plumbed for garden watering, toilet flushing and washing machine
use (see Appendix Z on roofwater harvesting), and
Site runoff and nutrient loads limited to less than 5% of undeveloped runoff (in
accordance with Draft Strategic Business Objectives in Appendix A).
This opportunity assists Council in meeting its Draft Strategic Business Objectives
(Appendix A) of 100% of development proposals incorporating water resource conservation
concepts.
8.1.4 Water Conservation Education
Promoting the water conservation message through current Council educational programs
has raised the community’s awareness to important water related issues. This awareness
has been heightened by the low storage levels and water restrictions that currently exist
within Eurobodalla Shire and other areas of NSW. The challenge for Council is to ensure
that this increased awareness is translated into lasting behavioural change of customers’
patterns of water use. Residential outdoor water use, which includes garden watering, car
washing, hosing down of hard surfaces and the filling of swimming pools is one area that
has the potential for significant water savings from improved customer education. Changing
the wasteful outdoor water practices of permanent residents and tourists and holidaymakers
alike is a key goal of a water conservation education campaign. Further
opportunities to enhance the water conservation message include increasing community
involvement at a local level, targeting specific groups within the community with specially
tailored sessions and promoting the Standards Australia Water Conservation Rating and
Labelling Scheme for water-using appliances.
Water Conservation Education Opportunity
Target Groups
Experience elsewhere shows that generic efficiency programs targeting all customer
categories are not as effective as programs that specifically target a portion of the
community. The residential sector is the largest collective water user within the Eurobodalla
Shire. Therefore an effective program that specifically addresses domestic water-efficient
appliances has probably the greatest capacity to produce significant savings in water use.
Opportunities are also available to reduce the demands for non-residential users by tailoring
efficiency programs based on the type of industry and the customer’s specific water use.
The community is in a key position to become actively involved in the development of water
conservation programs. Incorporating valuable community knowledge is advantageous in
many respects, but perhaps the greatest benefit is the sense of ownership that the
community can claim for programs that they have helped develop. This in turn will lead to
increased uptake levels for any programs that are implemented and therefore improved
results.
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