The Andrews Labor Government is supporting local business and community organisations to improve their water efficiency – conserving our precious drinking water and helping save money on their water bills. 

Minister for Water Harriet Shing joined Barwon Water and Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management in Portarlington today to launch the $5.27 million WaterSmart program.

The program, delivered in partnership with Victorian water corporations and will help businesses and organisations install data loggers to monitor water use data, enabling them to detect leaks and minimise the waste of potable water.

Barwon Water has received $271,000 in WaterSmart funding to help non-residential customers that often use significant amounts of water to monitor their water consumption and use the data to be more waterwise. 

Working with Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management 23 data loggers have been installed on water meters on committee managed sites in Portarlington, St Leonards and Indented Head in the past year. 

About 50 potential leaks have been detected, with repairs and early notification leading to estimated water savings of up to four million litres across 12-months. 

The WaterSmart program is delivering actions in the Central and Gippsland Region Sustainable Water Strategy, which aim to maximise water efficiency in business and community-based organisations, such as councils, sporting facilities and hospitals.

Barwon Water will invest a further $2.5 million over the coming five years to help residential and non-residential customers to save water. 

For more information visit, water.vic.gov.au/liveable/using-water-wisely/watersmart

Quote attributable to Minister for Water Harriet Shing

“This free monitoring helps to identify any leaks or inefficiencies so they can be fixed quickly, saving water and delivering bill savings for businesses, other organisations such as councils, and the community.” 

Quote attributable to Member for Bellarine Alison Marchant

“This program is delivering real results for local organisations including the Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management who have already saved up to four million litres of water in just one year.”

Quote attributable to Barwon Water Chair Jo Plummer

“Water saving initiatives help meet the region’s water needs, are good for the environment and are strongly supported by our customers, which is why we’re leading the way with a variety of water saving programs to save water into the future, including through new technology.” 

Quote attributable to Bellarine Bayside Foreshore Committee of Management Chair Melanie Rogers

“We’re proud to be at the forefront of showcasing the effectiveness of this technology. We’re committed to environmental stewardship and reducing our environmental footprint, particularly through partnerships.”