Sydney water usage plunges thanks to drought-era habits
SYDNEYsiders are using less drinking water than they did 25 years ago — despite the city’s rapidly growing population.
NSW
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DROUGHT days may be long behind us, but Sydneysiders are using less water than they did 25 years ago.
Despite the number of households soaring, habits picked up a decade ago when dam levels were at record lows mean average water bills are down by nearly $100 a year.
It has delayed the need for investing in a new dam.
However, while we’re using 100 billion litres a year less, record high temperatures and extreme weather events mean the government has had to revise the dam level that triggers a drought response, while also exploring controversial options such as using recycled water for drinking.
The details are in the 2017 Metropolitan Water Plan, which spells out strategies to secure drinking water over the next decade amid a changing climate.
To be released by the state government today, it also reveals plans to modify Warragamba Dam to allow water to be diverted into the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system to improve swimming and boating conditions.
Energy and Utilities Minister Don Harwin said the plan would ensure an ongoing supply of drinking water even if Sydney experienced an extreme drought worse than that of the early-2000s.
“I am proud to say that under our government the people of greater Sydney are experiencing their first-ever water bill reduction,” he said.
“A typical Sydney Water customer is now saving nearly $100 a year. Despite demand for water declining since the 1990s, we need to plan for the region’s growing population, which is projected to increase by 2 million people over the next two decades.”
WATER ... BUT NOT AS YOU’VE SEEN IT ...
The plan said the huge reduction was due to ongoing water-saving behaviours plus increased use of water-efficient showerheads and taps.
It also outlined ways to improve the health of the Hawkesbury and Nepean rivers.
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