There are promising signs Hunter Water’s customers are contributing to a reduction in the amount of water being consumed across the region.
Early modelling indicates that Hunter Water’s customers are using about four per cent less water than they otherwise would have been, when usage is adjusted to account for climate variations. This saving amounts to the average yearly water usage of 7,000 households and would enable around two years of residential growth in the Lower Hunter without building new supply capacity.
It comes as Hunter Water marks one year since the Love Water conservation campaign was launched, which aims to encourage the community to value water by making simple changes at home, such as taking shorter showers or waiting until there is a full load before washing clothes, to collectively make a big difference.
Hunter Water Managing Director, Jim Bentley said the early indications are that an encouraging number of customers have changed their water use behaviour.
“Imagine the impact we could have together if even more of us loved water? I’m proud our community is embracing this important message and valuing our precious resource,” Jim said.
“As part of our effort to Love Water, we have been working to reduce losses from our water network. In a little over two years, we have reduced leakage by nearly 20 per cent through a range of initiatives including increasing our active leak detection work and using smart technology to detect hard-to-find leaks.
“We’re committed to learning with our community to create a resilient water system for our region, one which is robust and adaptive to uncertainties and protects our environment, while also continuing to provide high quality, affordable services.
“We can achieve a resilient and sustainable water future by working together as a community to value our precious resource.”
Minister for Energy and Utilities, Don Harwin congratulated Hunter Water on its innovative and original campaign, which brings the community together through conservation.
“It’s great to see the positive impact Love Water has had on customers’ behaviour in a relatively short period of time. It’s a credit to both the community and Hunter Water for its efforts to value this critical resource,” Don said.
“With a continued focus on water conservation and efficiency measures, as well as Hunter Water’s commitment to reducing leakage across its network, I’m confident that together we can help improve future sustainability and build resilience of the region’s water supply.”
IMAGE | Hunter Water customers are using four per cent less water than they otherwise would have been.
